title: Interleukin-1 release by alveolar macrophages in asthmatic patients and healthy subjects.
abstract: A thymocyte proliferative response assay was used to compare spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced interleukin-1 (IL-1) release by alveolar macrophage (AM) in asthmatic patients and normal subjects. Twelve asthmatic patients and seven nonsmoking healthy subjects underwent a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). All asthmatic patients had a reversible airway obstruction and 7/12 were allergic. BAL AM were separated by adherence on tissue culture plates in medium RPMI-1640 supplemented with antibiotics and fetal calf serum, and were incubated with or without 10 micrograms/ml LPS for 20 h. Free-cell supernatants were tested by C3H/HeJ mice thymocyte proliferative assay. Unstimulated AM supernatant IL-1 activity was significantly higher in asthmatic patients (mean +/- SEM: 47.8 +/- 11.9 units/10(6) AM) in comparison with healthy subjects (4.8 +/- 2.3 units/10(6) AM; p less than 0.05, Mann-Whitney U test) but did not significantly differ between allergic (42.2 +/- 15.5 units/10(6) AM) and intrinsic asthmatic patients (55.8 +/- 20.7 units/10(6) AM). For healthy subjects, IL-1 activity was significantly higher in LPS-stimulated AM supernatants (85 +/- 20 units/10(6) AM, p less than 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test) in comparison with unstimulated ones; for asthmatic patients, unstimulated and LPS-stimulated AM supernatant IL-1 activity did not significantly differ. This finding is in accordance with previous work suggesting that AM from asthmatic patients have a weak suppressive activity upon lymphocyte proliferation and emphasize the enhanced AM releasability in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital l'Aiguelongue, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cosso
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Daurès
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clot
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Godard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008875:Middle Aged; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides