Predominance of infiltrating IL-4-producing T cells in conjunctiva of patients with allergic conjunctival disease.
OBJECTIVE
Previous reports have suggested that type 2 cytokine responses at the site of inflammation are important in the pathogenesis of allergic disease. In this study, we investigated the frequency of IFN-gamma- or IL-4-producing T cells from conjunctiva or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with allergic conjunctival diseases.


METHODS
We obtained conjunctival samples using Cytobrush and peripheral blood samples from the patients with allergic conjunctival disease. Conjunctival samples and PBMC were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate and calcium ionophore. Frequencies of cytokine-producing T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry based on the intracellular cytokine staining.


RESULTS
The frequency of IL-4-producing conjunctival T cells in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) were significantly higher than that in patients with allergic conjunctivitis (AC). The frequencies of IL-4-producing conjunctival CD4+ T cells of the patients with AC, AKC, or VKC were significantly higher than those of peripheral blood CD4+ T cells of the same disease. Further, increased frequency of P-selectin ligand expressing IL-4-producing T cells was observed in conjunctiva compared to that in PBMC of the patients with allergic conjunctival diseases. The frequencies of IL-4-producing peripheral blood T cells in the patients with ACD were significantly higher than that in normal controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that IL-4-producing T cells that have infiltrated into the conjunctiva play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of allergic conjunctival diseases, and P-selectin ligand is involved in the entry of T cells into allergic inflammatory site.
Matsuura
Noriko
N
Department of Ophthalmology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. parasite@med.yokohama-cu.ac.jp
Uchio
Eiichi
E
Nakazawa
Masatoshi
M
Yago
Tadayuki
T
Matsumoto
Satoru
S
Ohno
Shigeaki
S
Minami
Mutsuhiko
M
D000328:Adult; D002465:Cell Movement; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000276:immunology*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008985:Monensin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C084882:P-selectin ligand protein; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D008985:Monensin; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate