title: Cytokine gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with pharmacologically treated cystic echinococcosis.
abstract: The influence of pharmacological treatment on the immune response of patients with Echinococcus granulosus infection was evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine mRNA expression for IL-12 p35, IL-12 p40, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-4 in PBMC from 12 patients before and after chemotherapy and from seven uninfected controls. Most patients' PBMC showed measurable amounts of IL-12 p35, IL-4, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA in parasite antigen-stimulated and unstimulated cultures. Conversely, IL-12 p40 mRNA was detected almost exclusively in successfully treated patients (86%) after therapy. In these patients semiquantitative analysis of RT-PCR products showed a significant difference between IL-12 p40 mRNA mean levels before and after therapy (P = 0.03 in parasite antigen-stimulated cultures; P = 0.001 in unstimulated cultures). IL-4 mRNA was weakly expressed before therapy and more highly so after treatment in both groups of patients and under both culture conditions; IL-4 mRNA reached its highest level in post-therapy PBMC from patients in whom therapy failed (stimulated cultures). IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA expression increased in patients who responded to therapy and decreased in patients who did not. In contrast to IL-12 p35, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNAs, IL-12 p40 and IL-4 mRNAs were detected exclusively in patients, suggesting a close relationship between these two cytokines and cystic echinococcosis. Our findings indicate that chemotherapy influences the immune response, thus determining changes in Th1/Th2 cytokine mRNA patterns, predominantly in IL-12 p40 and IL-4 mRNA expression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riganò
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Profumo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buttari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teggi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siracusano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018664:Interleukin-12; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma