Oncostatin M inhibits IL-1-induced expression of IL-8 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by synovial and lung fibroblasts.

The role of oncostatin M (OM) in modulating production of cytokines by connective tissue cells is largely unexplored. We have examined the effects of stimulating fibroblast cultures derived from human synovium and from normal lung with OM alone or in combination with IL-1, IL-1 alpha (or IL-1 beta) at 1 or 5 ng/ml, stimulated production of high levels of granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), IL-8, and IL-6 protein. At various concentrations (0.1-50 ng/ml), OM alone failed to significantly enhance protein or mRNA levels of GM-CSF, IL-8, IL-6, or G-CSF after 18 h of stimulation. When combined with IL-1 alpha or -beta, OM caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the IL-1-induced level of IL-8 and GM-CSF protein and mRNA expression, whereas IL-6 production was simultaneously enhanced. In contrast, when IL-6 or leukemia inhibitory factor (two other cytokines that share gp130 receptor components with OM) were used in a similar fashion in combination with IL-1 alpha, neither cytokine consistently altered the IL-1-induced levels of IL-8, GM-CSF, or IL-6. In addition, only OM and not IL-6 or leukemia inhibitory factor was able to induce STAT-1 nuclear factor binding to DNA in stimulated fibroblast extracts as measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. These results suggest that OM can significantly alter cytokine profiles of stimulated fibroblasts and may play a unique role in modulating cytokine production by these cells at sites of inflammation.