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.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Münster, Germany. rudack@uni-muenster.de
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Rudack
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Jörg
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Sachse
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