Interleukin I alpha is a marker of endothelial cellular senescent

Abstract

Background: The functional changes associated with endothelial senescence may be involved in human aging and age-related vascular disorders. Since the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL-) I inhibits endothelial growth, we evaluated the expression of IL-Iα, IL-Iβ and their antagonist, the IL-I receptor antagonist (IL-Ira), in endothelial in vitro senescence and quiescence. We also examined the expression of IL-Iα in human senescent and progeric fibroblasts. Results: We found that the overexpression of IL-Iα specifically characterizes endothelial senescence. No modulation of this cytokine was observed in endothelial quiescence and in senescent or progeric human fibroblasts. The expression of IL-Iβ and IL-Ira was also assessed and found not to be affected by senescence. Conclusion: Our results indicate that a dysfunction of the cytokine network associates with aging and point to a specific role of IL-Iα in endothelial senescence. © 2006 Mariotti e al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.