Anti-inflammatory properties of a novel peptide interleukin 1 receptor antagonist

Background: interleukin 1 (il-1) is implicated in neuroinflammation,an essential component of neurodegeneration. we evaluated the potential anti-inflammatory effect of a novel peptide antagonist of il-1 signaling,ilantide.methods: we investigated the binding of ilantide to il-1 receptor type i (il-1ri) using surface plasmon resonance,the inhibition of il-1β-induced activation of nuclear factor κb (nf-κb) in hek-blue cells that contained an il-1β-sensitive reporter,the secretion of tnf-α in macrophages,protection against il-1-induced apoptosis in neonatal pancreatic islets,and the penetration of ilantide through the blood-brain barrier using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). we studied the effects of the peptide on social behavior and memory in rat models of lipopolysaccharide (lps)- and amyloid-induced neuroinflammation,respectively,and its effect in a rat model of experimental autoimmune enchephalomyelitis.results: ilantide bound il-1ri,inhibited the il-1β-induced activation of nf-κb,and inhibited the secretion of tnf-α in vitro. ilantide protected pancreatic islets from apoptosis in vitro and reduced inflammation in an animal model of arthritis. the peptide penetrated the blood-brain barrier. it reduced the deficits in social activity and memory in lps- and amyloid-treated animals and delayed the development of experimental autoimmune enchephalomyelitis.conclusions: these findings indicate that ilantide is a novel and potent il-1ri antagonist that is able to reduce inflammatory damage in the central nervous system and pancreatic islets. © 2014 klementiev et al.; licensee biomed central ltd.