title: Endogenous interleukin-10 produced by antigen-irrelevant cells promotes the development of experimental murine allergic conjunctivitis.
abstract: Interleukin (IL)-10 is known to act as an immunoregulatory cytokine in both T helper cell 1 (Th1)- and Th2-mediated immune responses. Here, we ask whether IL-10 regulates the development of experimental allergic conjunctivitis (EC), a Th2-mediated inflammatory disease. Wild-type (WT) and IL-10 knockout (IL-10 KO) mice were immunized with ragweed (RW) and then repeatedly challenged with RW in eye drops. Twenty-four hours after the final challenge, conjunctivas were harvested for histological analysis, while the blood and spleens were used to determine the RW-specific immunoglobulin levels in serum and proliferation or cytokine responses and splenocyte transfer, respectively. The IL-10 KO mice had significantly less severe EC (as determined by conjunctival eosinophil infiltration) than the WT mice and evinced greater RW-specific splenocyte proliferation and cytokine production. However, the RW-specific immunoglobulin levels of the two strains did not differ. When the splenocytes from RW-primed WT mice were transferred into IL-10 KO or WT mice, the IL-10 KO mice showed significantly less conjunctival eosinophil infiltration. In contrast, when the splenocytes from RW-primed IL-10 KO or WT mice were transferred into WT mice, both splenocyte populations generated equivalent severe EC. These data indicate that IL-10 does not serve as an immunoregulatory cytokine in the development of EC. Instead, it appears that IL-10 produced by antigen-irrelevant cells acts in the effector phase to promote the development of EC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kochi Medical School, Oko-cho, Nankoku-city, Japan. fukusima@med.kochi-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Atsuki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Tamaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Hisayuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueno
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D031164:Ambrosia / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant / Q000276:immunology; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D052179:Antigens, Plant; D016753:Interleukin-10