Biologically active neutrophil chemokine pattern in tonsillitis.
To gain an insight into the mechanisms of chronic and acute inflammation, the production of neutrophil chemokines in different types of tonsillitis - hyperplastic tonsillitis (HT), recurrent tonsillitis (RT) and peritonsillar abscesses (PA) - was investigated. The chemokines interleukin-8 (IL-8), growth-related oncogene-alpha (GRO-alpha), epithelial cell-derived neutrophil attractant-78 (ENA-78) and granulocyte chemotactic protein-2 (GCP-2) were detected and shown to have different biological activities. With respect to the biological properties of CXC chemokines, the biological activity of the chemokines was identified using a three-step high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique, a bioassay involving measurement of neutrophil chemotaxis in a single Boyden chamber in tissue of HT, RT and PA. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the chemokine concentrations were determined in the different tonsillitis entities. The chemokine pattern was dominated in PA by IL-8 and GRO-alpha and in RT by GRO-alpha. Hyperplastic tonsils of patients without a history of infection generated about five times lower IL-8 than PA. A protein concentration of GCP-2 was induced in PA and RT, whereas ENA-78 remained the same in all entities. In conclusion, it would appear that IL-8 was up-regulated in acute inflammation, whereas GRO-alpha dominated in chronic inflammation. ENA-78 seems not to play a pivotal role in inflammatory processes in tonsils. GCP-2 may serve as a substitute chemokine in certain inflammatory conditions as its quantity of mRNA and protein was higher in RT and PA than in HT.
Rudack
C
C
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Münster, Germany. rudack@uni-muenster.de
Jörg
S
S
Sachse
F
F
D000208:Acute Disease; D018925:Chemokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D000039:Peritonsillar Abscess / Q000276:immunology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012008:Recurrence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000276:immunology*
D018925:Chemokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger