Potential involvement of dendritic cells in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to beta-lactams.
BACKGROUND
Although the involvement of T cells in delayed reactions to drugs has been studied, little is known about the interaction between the drug and the antigen-presenting cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells essential for initiating T-cell responses. Their ability is regulated in a process known as maturation, by which they modulate the effector immune response.


OBJECTIVE
We studied the role of DCs in subjects who had a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to amoxicillin to assess the effect on the pattern of maturation and determine the capacity of DCs to activate T lymphocytes.


METHODS
We examined the consequences of the interaction between monocyte-derived DCs, lymphocytes, and amoxicillin by means of phenotypic and functional studies, including endocytosis, proliferation, and cytokine production.


RESULTS
Amoxicillin drove DCs from hypersensitive subjects to a phenotypic and functional semimature status, inducing a T-cell proliferation response.


CONCLUSIONS
In delayed reactions to amoxicillin, DCs play a relevant role in inducing the T-cell responses. These results are useful not only to understand the mechanism but potentially as a possible approach to diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
A better understanding of T-cell and DC involvement in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions is needed. This in vitro assay might provide clues to the diagnostic evaluation of patients allergic to penicillins.
Rodriguez-Pena
Rebeca
R
Research Laboratory Carlos Haya Hospital-Fundacion IMABIS, Spain. rebeca.rodriguez.exts@juntadeandalucia.es
Lopez
Soledad
S
Mayorga
Cristobalina
C
Antunez
Cristina
C
Fernandez
Tahia D
TD
Torres
Maria J
MJ
Blanca
Miguel
M
D000328:Adult; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology
D047090:beta-Lactams; D000658:Amoxicillin