title: Cytokine profile of t lymphocytes from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: The possible immunological relationship between the pattern of Th1/Th2 cytokine production and tuberculin reactivity was assessed in patients with active Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The production of the intracellular cytokines interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin-4 (IL-4) was measured in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells obtained from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 20 tuberculin skin-positive patients and compared with the findings recorded in nine tuberculin skin-negative patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Upon stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate acetate/ionomycin for 6 h, tuberculin-negative patients had a significantly higher proportion of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) T lymphocytes in BALF than in peripheral blood, while both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-lymphocyte subsets in BALF of tuberculin-positive patients secreted more IFN-gamma than their peripheral blood counterparts. Tuberculin-negative patients had a significantly higher proportion of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood than tuberculin-positive patients. There was no significant difference in the production of IFN-gamma by BALF CD4(+) T lymphocytes, or by either peripheral blood or BALF CD8(+) T lymphocytes. In two tuberculin-negative patients, peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes produced IL-4. Study results suggested a higher immune activity in the blood of tuberculin-negative patients, with an increased lymphocyte activity in BALF versus peripheral blood in both patient groups.
authors.affiliation: Jordanovac University Hospital for Lung Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia. zagorka.boras@zg.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Boras
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juretić
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gagro
authors.forename: Lj
authors.initials: Lj
authors.lastname: Pavelić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000032:analysis*; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4; D015759:Ionomycin; C016658:phorbolol myristate acetate; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate