title: Secretion and mRNA expression of TNF alpha and IL-6 in the lungs of pneumoconiosis patients.
abstract: Exposure to coal-mine dust leads to coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), characterized by the development of a perifocal and progressive fibrotic reaction. In order to confirm their in vivo participation in the pathogenesis of CWP, the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was evaluated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens collected from 12 patients with simple pneumoconiosis (SP) and six with progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), and in pulmonary tissue from one patient with SP and three with PMF. Expression of TNF and IL-6 was assessed using both in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. The number of positive cells found in BALF was significantly higher for patients with PMF (TNF = 55 +/- 6%; IL-6 = 46 +/- 12.8%) than for those with SP (TNF = 34 +/- 11.6%; IL-6 = 26 +/- 10.2%) or normal controls (TNF = 15 +/- 5.5%; IL-6 = 13.3 +/- 6%), and was correlated with cytokine concentrations in supernatants from alveolar macrophages (AM). In lung biopsies, the expression of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) for TNF was associated with the presence of coal dust and was limited to lung macrophages; mRNA for IL-6 was detected in mononuclear phagocytes but also in other types of cells such as endothelial cells. Monokine synthesis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. These data confirm that TNF and IL-6 production is increased in the lungs of pneumoconiotic patients. Moreover TNF and IL-6 expression was associated with the presence of coalmine dust particles, suggesting a direct role of mineral particles in the cytokine production and development of pneumoconiotic lesions in CWP.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pathologie Immuno-Allergique Respiratoire, Unité INSERM 416, Institut Pasteur, Lille, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanhée
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gosset
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Marquette
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wallaert
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lafitte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gosselin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Voisin
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Tonnel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D003032:Coal Mining; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha