Production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 after inactivated hepatitis A immunization.
OBJECTIVE
To assess helper T cell function by measuring cytokine production over time after hepatitis A immunization.


METHODS
Open-label, single-dose study.


METHODS
General clinical research center of a university hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-five healthy adults.


METHODS
Each subject was immunized with inactivated hepatitis A vaccine; blood was drawn on day 0 (the day of immunization) and days 2, 5, 7, 10, and 28 after immunization.


RESULTS
Production of interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated in culture with hepatitis A virus was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Concentrations of hepatitis A antibody were measured on day 28. Both IFN-gamma and IL-10 production peaked on day 10 after immunization (IFN-gamma day 0 median = 7.35 pg/ml, interquartile ratio [IQR] = 20.8 vs day 10 median = 22.35 pg/ml, IQR = 42.4, p < 0.05; IL-10 day 0 median = 1.00, IQR = 7.4 vs day 10 median = 11.75 pg/ml, IQR = 92.3, p < 0.02, Wilcoxon signed rank test). The IL-10:IFN-gamma ratio on day 10 correlated with antibody production (Pearson product moment correlation 0.46, p < 0.05). This ratio was used as a measure of helper T cell phenotype.


CONCLUSIONS
Both IFN-gamma and IL-10 are produced in response to hepatitis A vaccine. The parallel production after immunization may contribute to the high efficacy of these vaccine preparations in inducing both cell-mediated immune response and a protective antibody response.
Hayney
Mary S
MS
School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, 777 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2222, USA. mshayney@pharmacy.wisc.edu
Buck
Jessica M
JM
Muller
Daniel
D
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000494:pharmacology
D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma