engleski

Cytokine profile of T-lymphocytes from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis

The possible immunologic 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 IFN-gamma and 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 hours, 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.

human; cytokines; bacterial; lung; blood; infection; inflammation; cell activation; T cells

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