Intracellular T-cell cytokine levels are age-dependent in healthy children and adults.
Intracellular detection of cytokines via fluorescent antibody staining and flow cytometry has quickly become a standard method in experimental immunology. However, in pediatrics most studies have been hampered by the exclusion of healthy control individuals or have been skewed by neglecting to observe age-dependent differences in cytokine production. We therefore intended to establish normal values for different age groups and to describe the age-dependent development of cytokine profiles. Whole blood from 46 healthy children and 33 adults was analyzed by flow cytometry after stimulation with PMA, ionomycin and Mmonensin, and staining with anti-cytokine and surface antibodies. In the pediatric population, we found a significant positive correlation between age and intracellular cytokine levels of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4 and TNF-alpha in CD4+ cells, as well as for IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in CD8+ cells. In adulthood, no such striking trend could be detected, but significant correlation was found for IL-10 in CD4+ cells and IFN-gamma in CD8+ cells as well as for TNF-alpha in both cell subgroups. We present here the first systematic analysis of intracellular cytokine production in normal, healthy children between the ages of 0 to 18 years compared to results in adults. These data may provide a reference basis for the study of cytokine secretion patterns, and they also demonstrate a significant maturation of the T-cell cytokine production capacity from birth to adulthood.
Hoffmann
Florian
F
Department of Infection and Immunity, Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Lindwurmstrasse 4, 80337 Munich, Germany.
Albert
Michael H
MH
Arenz
Stephan
S
Bidlingmaier
Christoph
C
Berkowicz
Nadine
N
Sedlaczek
Sabine
S
Till
Holger
H
Pawlita
Ingo
I
Renner
Ellen D
ED
Weiss
Michael
M
Belohradsky
Bernd H
BH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
D016207:Cytokines