title: IL-4 induces IL-6 and signs of allergic-type inflammation in the nasal airways of nonallergic individuals.
abstract: In addition to its more widely recognized role in promoting IgE synthesis, we speculate that interleukin-4 (IL-4) may modulate both allergic- and nonallergic-type inflammatory processes in the airway mucosa. We examined in vivo the effect of IL-4 on granulocyte and cytokine homeostasis in the nasal airways of nonallergic volunteers. Ten (N = 10) healthy subjects received nasal IL-4 (10 microg) or saline (0.9%) challenges on separate occasions. Nasal lavage was obtained before and 24 h after nasal challenges. We report that IL-4 induced a significant increase in IL-6 and produced elevated levels of eosinophils and neutrophils compared to saline. These data demonstrate that IL-4 can modulate both allergic- and nonallergic-type inflammatory responses in the nasal airways of nonallergic individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA. Neil_Alexis@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alexis
authors.forename: Kelley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Peden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D015847:Interleukin-4