title: Interleukin-10 in human milk.
abstract: The concentrations of immunoreactive IL-10 in the aqueous fraction of 20 specimens of human milk obtained during the first 80 h of lactation and stored at -60 degrees C ranged from 66 to 9301 pg/mL (mean +/- SD, 3304 +/- 3127 pg/mL). IL-10 was present also in the lipid layer of milk. Gel filtration revealed that IL-10 was located in a high molecular weight fraction, where certain other cytokines in human milk have been found. In addition, immunoreactive IL-10 in milk increased after treatment with sodium taurocholate. Bioactive IL-10 was demonstrated by the finding that human milk inhibited [3H]thymidine uptake by human blood lymphocytes and that inhibition was partly overcome by concomitant incubation with antibodies to human IL-10. IL-10 mRNA but no protein product was found in cultured human mammary epithelial cells. Some IL-10 was associated with preparations of human milk leukocytes, but the data did not suggest that the cells were producing the cytokine. Bioactive IL-10 in a possible protected compartment suggests that IL-10 in human milk may have immunomodulating, antiinflammatory effects on the alimentary tract of the recipient infant.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Pediatrics, Galveston 77555-0369, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chheda
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Palkowetz
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Rudloff
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Schmalstieg
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Rassin
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000032:analysis*; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016753:Interleukin-10