IL-1β mediates diethyldithiocarbamate-induced granulocyte colony-stimulating factor production and hematopoiesis

Diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) exhibits chemoprotective effects via reduced myelosuppression in mice treated with various chemotherapeutic agents. The mechanism of DDTC-mediated chemoprotection is believed to involve the induction and release of several cytokines, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). In the present study the roles of IL-1β and TNF-α in DDTC-mediated G-CSF induction were examined using human long-term bone marrow cultures (hLTBMCs). Administration of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) to DDTC-treated hLTBMCs obviated the G-CSF induction profile and blocked the resultant colony proliferation, indicating that IL-1β mediates DDTC-induced G-CSF release and hematopoiesis. IL-1β mRNA levels were increased threefold over control following DDTC treatment of hLTBMCs, implying that DDTC induces IL-1β at the level of transcription. Conversely, studies involving inhibition of DDTC-induced TNF-α synthesis, with the inhibitor MNX 160, had no effect on DDTC-induced G-CSF release or colony proliferation. These findings taken together strongly suggest that IL-1β mediates the chemoprotective effects of DDTC.