Interleukin-8 is a major neutrophil chemotactic factor in pleural liquid of patients with empyema.
Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a potent neutrophil chemotactic peptide, has been found in association with human disease, but its contribution to chemotactic activity in humans is not yet known. We asked whether IL-8 is present in inflammatory human pleural effusions, and to what extent it contributes to pleural liquid neutrophil chemotactic activity. Because tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a strong inducer of IL-8, we also asked whether TNF-alpha was present. For this prospective study, we collected pleural liquid from 51 patients (empyema, 14; parapneumonic, four; tuberculous, eight; malignant, nine; miscellaneous exudative, seven; and transudative, nine), counted pleural neutrophils, and measured IL-8 and TNF-alpha concentrations in the supernatant. To determine the contribution of IL-8 to chemotactic activity in empyema, we measured the neutrophil migration induced by empyemic liquids before and after addition of anti-IL-8 F(ab')2 antibody fragments or control anti-IL-6 F(ab')2. We found that IL-8 concentrations were higher in empyema (61.3 +/- 21.0 ng/ml [SEM]) than in all other effusions (1.1 +/- 0.5 ng/ml) (p = 0.0001). All empyema liquids had IL-8 concentrations above 2.5 ng/ml, which was true for only three of the other 37 effusions (two parapneumonic, one tuberculous). IL-8 levels correlated with the pleural neutrophil count (r = 0.46; p = 0.007) and the neutrophil chemotactic activity of pleural liquid (r = 0.43; p = 0.008). Anti-IL-8 antibodies decreased chemotactic activity in empyema liquids by 65 +/- 5%, whereas the control antibody had no effect (0 +/- 5% decrease) (p = 0.0005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Broaddus
V C
VC
Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, CA 94110.
Hébert
C A
CA
Vitangcol
R V
RV
Hoeffel
J M
JM
Bernstein
M S
MS
Boylan
A M
AM
D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D016724:Empyema, Pleural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology
D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha