Abstract-The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible involvement of human peripheral blood monocytes in the pathology of hypertensive disease. We determined the in vitro secretion patterns of proinflammatory cytokines obtained from isolated peripheral monocytes from normal controls and from hypertensive patients either after in vitro stimulation with angiotensin II (Ang II) with or without preincubation with an Ang II type 1 receptor antagonist (losartan) or after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. Blood samples were obtained from 22 patients with essential hypertension (before any drug administration or after interruption of antihypertensive therapy) and from 24 normotensive healthy individuals used as a control group. Peripheral blood monocytes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and plastic adherence. The state of monocyte activity was determined by the capacity to secrete tumor necrosis factor-␣ (TNF-␣), interleukin-1␤ (IL-1␤), and interleukin-6, (IL-6) either spontaneously or after stimulation. Cytokine concentrations were determined in culture supernatants by specific ELISA. Proinflammatory cytokine levels were assessed by semiquantitative reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction. After stimulation with Ang II, the IL-1␤ secretion of peripheral blood monocytes was significantly increased in hypertensive patients versus healthy individuals (PϽ0.05). In contrast, in monocytes preincubated with losartan before exposure to Ang II, IL-1␤ secretion was diminished in both groups to comparable levels.

Objective. To define gene activation patterns of monocytes (MO) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods. A complementary DNA (cDNA) library was constructed from first-leukapheresis MO obtained from an RA patient with active disease; 32 P-labeled cDNA from first-leukapheresis MO (activated pool) and third-leukapheresis MO (nonactivated pool) were used as probes for differential hybridization. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to assess gene activation in MO from an additional 26 RA patients and 6 normal controls.

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