title: Cytokines locally produced by lymphocytes removed from the hypertrophic nasopharyngeal and palatine tonsils.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human palatine tonsils and the nasopharyngheal tonsil are the largest components of the Waldeyer's ring. Subepithelial and intraepithelial lymphocytes of human adenoids and tonsils are responsible for the local and the systemic immune response. We studied the cytokine production by lymphoid cells isolated from 16 nasopharyngeal tonsils (adenoid) and 9 palatine tonsils surgically removed by from 25 children (aged from 4 to 15 years) suffering from tonsil hypertrophy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated (by the cytometry method, using BD Bioscience kits, San Diego, CA) the concentration of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, TNF(alpha) and IFN(gamma) released from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MC) (activated or not activated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)) cultured in vitro during 72 h. The fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis was also performed and the percentage of mononuclear cells (unstimulated or activated by phorbol acetate during 24 h) stained with the monoclonal antibodies anti-CD3 containing the intracellular cytokines was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The increased secretion of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, TNF(alpha) and IFN(gamma) from PHA activated palatine origin immune cell cultures, as compared to adenoids, was revealed. The higher mobilization (Delta%) of CD3+ T-lymphocytes containing IL-12 in palatine cell cultures (798.5+/-276.29%), in comparison with to the adenoids (298.5+/-49.16%; p< or =0.05), was also noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In palatine tonsils, as compared to adenoids, the cellular immune (Th1) response dominates over humoral immune (Th2) reaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital, Research Institute, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komorowska
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Komorowski
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banasik
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lewkowicz
authors.forename: Henryk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tchórzewski
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000234:Adenoids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma