Interferon-gamma (r-IFN-gamma) induced activation of alveolar macrophages (AM) from anergic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Forty-six anergic patients (37 males and 9 females, age range 55-79 yr) were selected from ninety-one patients suffering from COPD due to frequent exacerbations and impaired delayed cutaneous reactivity (43.9%). The phenotype of circulating lymphocytes, their proliferative response to a panel of polyclonal T-cell activators and the candidacidal activity (CA) of circulating PMNs (polymorphonuclear cells) were measured. In 13 patients presenting a defective CA of circulating PMNs, the in vitro response of alveolar macrophage CA to r-IFN-gamma was also determined. We found: 1) a significant reduction in the CL response to PHA in COPD patients vs controls; 2) a low PMN-CA in 23 (57%) COPD patients; 3) a non-significant difference in phenotype analysis in patients and controls; 4) lower CA of AMs in COPD patients than in controls; 5) restoration in vitro of CA by r-IFN-gamma in the group of anergic COPD patients presenting depressed CA. We conclude that a defective cell-mediated immunity could be the basis of the enhanced susceptibility to infectious exacerbations in many COPD patients and that, in vitro, it could be reversed by r-IFN-gamma treatment.
Todisco
T
T
Pulmonary Division, University Hospital of Perugia, Italy.
Vecchiarelli
A
A
Dottorini
M
M
Eslami
A
A
Bertotto
A
A
Massucci
M
M
Crupi
S
S
Cenci
E
E
Arcangeli
C
C
Fabietti
P G
PG
D000368:Aged; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma