Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 149, No. 2, 02 1994, 339-344.
Proinflammatory cytokines in nasal secretions of allergic subjects after antigen challenge
TC Sim, JA Grant, KA Hilsmeier, Y Fukuda and R Alam
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0762.
To study the role of cytokines in allergic late-phase reactions (LPR), we
measured cytokines (interleukins [IL]-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL- 6, and
granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF]) in nasal
secretions (NS) of eight allergic subjects following antigen or saline
provocation. NS were collected hourly for 10 h after challenge by a newly
developed matrix method. All subjects recorded hourly symptom scores.
Cytokines were measured using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
(ELISA). Compared with prechallenge values, significant levels of IL-1 beta
were detected in all subjects during the immediate reaction (peak, 51.0 +/-
22.4 pg/ml) and LPR (peak, 78.5 +/- 22.6 pg/ml) after antigen challenges (p
< 0.01) but not saline challenges. In contrast, GM-CSF and IL-6 showed a
delayed rise (peak, 26.4 +/- 1.3 pg/ml and 33.8 +/- 10.0 pg/ml,
respectively) at hour 4 in the antigen-challenge period (p < 0.01 versus
saline). NS from 4 donors also showed detectable IL-5 (7.6 to 155 pg/ml)
during the immediate reaction and LPR after allergen challenges (versus
saline, p < 0.01). The levels of cytokine correlated (p < 0.05) with
corresponding total symptom scores during the immediate reaction (IL-1
beta) and LPR (IL-1 beta, GM-CSF, and IL-6). IL-2 and IL-4 were not
detected in any sample. Thus, IL-1 beta, IL-5, IL-6, and GM-CSF are present
in the LPR of allergic rhinitis, and their correlation with clinical
responses may suggest their role in allergic inflammation.
