The polysaccharide fucoidin is a selectin blocker that inhibits leukocyte recruitment into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during experimental pneumococcal meningitis. In the present study, the effect of fucoidin treatment on the release of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-␣), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-8 into the CSF was investigated. Rabbits (n ‫؍‬ 7) were treated intravenously with 10 mg of fucoidin/kg of body weight every second hour starting 4 h after intracisternal inoculation of ϳ10 6 CFU of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 (untreated control group, n ‫؍‬ 7). CSF samples were obtained every second hour during a 16-h study period. Treatment with fucoidin caused a consistent and significant decrease in CSF IL-1 levels (in picograms per milliliter) between 12 and 16 h (0 versus 170, 0 versus 526, and 60 versus 1,467, respectively; P < 0.02). A less consistent decrease in CSF TNF-␣ levels was observed in the fucoidin-treated group, but with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). In contrast, there was no attenuation in CSF IL-8 levels. Indeed, there was a significant increase in CSF IL-8 levels (in picograms per milliliter) in the fucoidin-treated group at 10 and 12 h (921 versus 574 and 1,397 versus 569, respectively; P < 0.09). In conclusion, our results suggest that blood-derived leukocytes mainly are responsible for the release of IL-1 and to some degree TNF-␣ into the CSF during pneumococcal meningitis, whereas IL-8 may be produced by local cells within the brain.

The role of interleukin (IL)‐8 as mediator in the recruitment of leucocytes into the CSF was investigated during experimental pneumococcal meningitis. Rabbits were inoculated intracisternally with approximately 106 CFU Streptococcus pneumoniae, and treated (i) intravenously with 5 mg of a monoclonal antibody to IL‐8 (n = 7) or 5 mg of an isotype control antibody (n = 6); (ii) intracisternally with anti‐IL‐8, 100 µg (n = 5), 10 µg (n = 4), 1 µg (n = 4), 0·1 µg (n = 2). Ten rabbits served as untreated control group. Intravenous treatment with anti‐IL‐8 attenuated the pleocytosis significantly compared to untreated rabbits (P < 0·04) or rabbits treated with an isotype control antibody (P < 0·02). In contrast, intracisternal treatment with anti‐IL‐8 failed to attenuate the pleocytosis (P > 0·05). These results show, that IL‐8 plays an important role in the recruitment of leucocytes during experimental pneumococcal meningitis, and that the functional activity of IL‐8 in this process appears to be on the bloodstream side of the microvascular endothelium of the brain.

Antagonism between methicillin and fusidic acid was observed in staphylococcal meningitis.