title: Interleukin-7 induces anti-Mycobacterium avium activity in human monocyte-derived macrophages.
abstract: To examine the modulatory role of interleukin (IL)-7 on intracellular growth of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), human macrophages were treated either before or after MAC infection with different concentrations of IL-7. At 100 pg/mL, 1 ng/mL, and 10 ng/mL, treatment with IL-7 before infection stimulated secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) from MAC-infected macrophages (increase up to 40%) and resulted in dose-dependent reduction in the number of intracellular bacteria. Pretreatment with IL-7 did not inhibit the secretion of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). IL-7 added to the macrophage monolayer 4 h after infection resulted in both the secretion of TNF-alpha from MAC-infected macrophages (up to 90% increase, P < .05) and antimycobacterial activity (up to 50% reduction in bacteria, P <.05); however, TGF-beta1 production was not inhibited. IL-7-dependent anti-MAC activity of macrophages was inhibited by anti-human TNF-alpha antibody. These results suggest that IL-7 may contribute to the regulation of the immune response against MAC.
authors.affiliation: Kuzell Institute for Arthritis and Infectious Diseases, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco 94115, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tantawichien
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bermudez
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000254:growth & development*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha