title: Production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 by splenocytes in mice infected with Paragonimus westermani.
abstract: The TH cytokine responses of spleen cells stimulated with Con A from mice infected with Paragonimus westermani were examined. The spleen cell culture supernatants were assayed for TH1-specific IFN-gamma and TH2-specific IL-4. Cytokine responses for IL-4 peaked at three days (410 +/- 60.9 pg/ml), persisted at a high level until the second week (343 +/- 59.0 pg/ml), and then decreased slowly four and six weeks after infection. IFN-gamma production by splenocytes only increased during the first week (151 +/- 32.3 pg/ml) and declined abruptly after the second week of infection. IFN-gamma production by splenocytes of infected mice was not observed during the sixth week of infection. In addition, serum IL-4 and IFN-gamma were measured. Serum IL-4 was not detected in substantial quantity until four to six weeks after infection. The time course of serum IL-4 was not correlated with that of IL-4 production by splenocytes. Serum IFN-gamma was undetectable during the entire course of infection. These results suggest that TH2 cytokine responses, rather than TH1, predominate in mice infected with P. westermani.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010237:Paragonimiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003208:Concanavalin A; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma