Interleukin-6 expression by cultured human endothelial cells in contact with carbon coated polyethylene terephthalate

In order to evaluate if carbon coated polyethylene terephthalate (C-PET) could favor inflammatory reactions, the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells was tested in vitro. The cultures were put in contact with C-PET for 1, 24, 48 and 72 h. The same cells cultured on tissue culture-treated polystyrene without biomaterials were tested as the negative control; the same cells incubated with LPS were the positive control. The level of IL-6 in the conditioned medium was tested by enzyme immunoassay; the mRNA expression was evaluated by RT-PCR with specific primers. The cultures incubated with C-PET produced non significantly different amount of IL-6 compared to the negative control and did not induce the expression of IL-6 specific mRNA. LPS induced a significantly higher release of IL-6 in the medium and the expression of mRNA after 24, 48 and 72 h. We conclude that C-PET does not stimulate the synthesis of IL-6 and therefore does not favor inflammatory reaction through the release of this cytokine. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.