Potential mechanisms of interleukin-1 involvement in cerebral ischaemia

Interleukin-l (IL-1) has pleiotropic actions in the central nervous system. During the last decade, a growing corpus of evidence has indicated an important role of this cytokine in the development of brain damage following cerebral ischaemia. The expression of IL-I in the brain is dramatically increased during the early and chronic stage of infarction. The most direct evidence that IL-1 contributes significantly to ischaemic injury is that (1) central administration of IL-IP exacerbates brain damage, and (2) injection or over-expression of interleukin-1 beta receptor antagonist, and blockade of interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme activity reduce, dramatically, infarction and improve behavioural deficit. The mechanisms underlying IL-1 actions in stroke are not definitively elucidated, and it seems likely that its effects are mediated through stimulation and inhibition of wide range of pathophysiological processes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.