title: The role of interleukin-17 in murine cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonia in mice with skin transplants.
abstract: We hypothesized that the T helper (Th)17 response plays an important role in murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) interstitial pneumonia. BALB/c mice with skin grafts from C57/BJ6 mice were intranasally inoculated with 1.0 × 10(5) PFU MCMV. Lung tissues and skin grafts were histologically evaluated and expression of interleukins (IL)-17, -6 and -8, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and interferon (IFN)-γ in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, intracellular IL-4, -17, and IFN-γ, in spleen lymphocytes were analysed. The levels of IL-17 in the serum and BAL fluid were significantly higher in MCMV-infected mice versus not-infected mice (P = 0.0286 and P = 0.007, respectively) and the BAL levels of IL-17 peaked in 9 days (P = 0.001). The IL-17 level in the BAL was correlated with the grade of lung interstitial inflammation (r = 0.554, P = 0.0144). Serum IFN-γ levels were also higher after infection than that in the not-infected mice (P = 0.0286). IL-17 production increases locally and systemically during MCMV interstitial pneumonia. Neutralization of IL-17 significantly suppressed lung inflammation at day14 as assessed by histology. These findings suggest that IL-17 is important in the pathology of MCMV interstitial pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organ Transplantation, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, GuangZhou, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Qiang
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Li-Zhong
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Shi-Cong
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Long-Shan
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guo-Dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: De Qun
authors.initials: de Q
authors.lastname: Ni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma