title: Alveolar macrophage interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12 production in atopic asthma.
abstract: Inflammation in asthma is characterized by a Th2 response. In many experimental systems, this response can be regulated by interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12. IL-10 deactivates T cells, and IL-12 reorients the response toward a Th1 pattern. Alveolar macrophages (AM) can secrete both of these cytokines, and thus regulate T-cell behavior in asthma. They can enhance the Th2 response by turning off their secretion of IL-10 and IL-12, or tend to downregulate it by producing these cytokines. To elucidate that point, we assayed the AM IL-10 and IL-12 from 11 asthmatic patients and four controls. Six asthmatics were treated by inhaled corticosteroids. AM were recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). They were isolated and cultured for 24 h without stimulation or in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). IL-10 and the p40 subunit of IL-12 were assayed in the BAL fluid and in AM culture supernatants by ELISA. Spontaneous AM IL-10 production was higher in asthmatics, particularly in the treated group. The AM IL-10 production after stimulation by LPS was also elevated in asthmatics, but was mainly so in untreated patients. IL-12 levels were higher in BAL fluids from untreated patients than from controls. The IL-12 production of LPS-stimulated-AM from these patients was increased. These results show that AM are at least primed for the production of IL-10 and IL-12 in asthma, and suggest that these cells could be involved in the resolution of the asthmatic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pneumo-Allergologie, UPRES 2050 Groupe de Recherche Clinique Pathologie respiratoire et cutanée liée à l'environnement, Centre d'Investigations Cliniques de l'Hôpital Ste Marguerite, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magnan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Pee
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bongrand
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vervloet
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage / Q000379:methods; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018664:Interleukin-12