[Alteration of interferon-gamma and interleukin-12 released by bronchoalveolar lavage cells from pulmonary tuberculosis].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the change of cytokine released in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cells from pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients.


METHODS
BALF cells were obtained from group A: 10 normal control volunteers (normal control group); group B: 10 radiographically uninvolved sites of pulmonary TB patients (uninvolved sites group); group C: radiographically involved two lobes of lung and smear-positive of 10 pulmonary TB patients with an onset less than one year; and group D: radiographically involved more than three lobes and smear-positive of 10 pulmonary TB patients with an onset longer than two years. The IFN-gamma and IL-4 production in the culture supermate of BALF lymphocytes stimulated with PHA and IL-12 production in the culture supermate of BALF macrophage (AM) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide were determined using sandwich ELISA.


RESULTS
In group C, the IFN-gamma and IL-12 levels [(834 +/- 101) and (294 +/- 73) ng/L, respectively] were not only significantly higher than those of the group B[(197 +/- 59) and (67 +/- 23) ng/L, respectively, all P < 0.01] and normal control group[(179 +/- 51) and (57 +/- 24) ng/L, respectively, all P < 0.01], but also significantly higher than those of group D[(431 +/- 169) and (121 +/- 63) ng/L, respectively, all P < 0.01]; in group D, the IFN-gamma and IL-12 levels were significantly higher than those of the group B and normal control group (all P < 0.01); there were no significant differences between the group C and normal control group (P > 0.05); no differences were seen in IL-4 level among the 4 study groups.


CONCLUSIONS
A TH1 type response occurs in involved sites of pulmonary TB patients and that may result from AM which as a regulator through production of IL-12, and the TH1 type response may affect presentation and outcome in pulmonary TB.
Zhong
D
D
Department of Internal Medicine, Baoan People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518101, China.
Dong
L
L
Liang
Q
Q
D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
D018664:Interleukin-12; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma