Infections, trauma and inflammatory processes induce a host response with increases in a large group of structurally and functionally diverse plasma proteins. Parental administration of foreign proteins also induce an increase in plasma fibrinogen. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a monocyte-derived mediator and has regulatory effects on acute phase protein genes which result in the induction of fibrinogen synthesis in primary hepatocytes, while the addition of interleukin-1 (IL-1) exerts a negative modulating influence on the IL-6-stimulated fibrinogen. In order to understand the mechanisms by which IL-1 inhibits IL-6-stimulated fibrinogen transcription and translation, and since IL-1 is believed to act through PGE2 stimulation, we have studied the influence of PGE2 in IL-6 or IL-1, alone and in combination, on Fg mRNA expression (by Northern blot analysis) and the influence of PGE2, indomethacin, and arachidonic acid on Fg secretion. Moreover, since human recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (hrIL-1ra) is a strong inhibitor of IL-1 induced IL-1 transcription and translation and has an inhibitory effect on PGE2, we have studied the effects of IL-1ra on the down-regulation of IL-6 stimulated fibrinogen by IL-1, using an Fg ELISA method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)