title: Effects of cocaine administration to influenza virus-immunized mice on cytokine profiles of individual splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
abstract: We have analysed the effects of cocaine, administered to mice during the in vivo differentiation of effector T cells stimulated by antigen (influenza virus) recognition, on the frequency of IL-2-, IL-4- and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-expressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Each animal was injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg of cocaine 6, 24, 48 and 72 h after immunization with A/PR8 influenza virus (PR8). This enabled the determination of the pharmacological effects of cocaine on T cells during the initial step of the immune response, which is characterized by the production of large amounts of immunoregulatory cytokines. The distribution of IL-2-, IL-4- and IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was assayed on unseparated PR8-immune spleen cells, obtained from mice treated with cocaine or vehicle, and restimulated in vitro with UV-inactivated PR8 virus. The frequency of T cells singly or co-expressing the above three cytokines was determined at single-cell level by simultaneous flow cytometric analysis of intracellular cytokines and surface antigen expression. In parallel, the levels of IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma in the culture supernatants were quantified by ELISA. The results showed that cocaine, administered during the in vivo virus-induced differentiation of T cells, caused an increase of both the frequencies of CD8+ T cells singly and co-expressing IL-2 and IFN-gamma and the levels of these cytokines in virus-restimulated spleen cell culture supernatants, compared with those of untreated controls. In contrast, no effect was found on IL-4-positive CD8+ T cells and on IL-2-, IFN-gamma- and IL-4-positive CD4+ T cells. Our findings suggest that the immunomodulatory effects of cocaine may be due to the up-regulation of the production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma by CD8+ T cells with a type 0 cytokine profile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Francesco
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Falchetti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaziano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzilli
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Casalinuovo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ravagnan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garaci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D003042:Cocaine