Lipopolysaccharide Induces Expression of Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor, Interleukin-8, and Interleukin-6 in Human Nasal, but Not Lung, Fibroblasts: Evidence for Heterogeneity within the Respiratory Tract

Fibroblasts play an indirect augmenting effector role in the inflammatory response by releasing growth and differentiation factors and other inflammatory mediators after activation by inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, but whether direct activation occurs by exogenous agents such as endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) remains controversial. Using a number of primary human airways tissue-derived fibroblast lines, we demonstrate …