Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Laaksonen, K.
• Waris, M.
• Mäkelä, M.J.
• Terho, E. O.
• Savolainen, J.

Titel

In vitro kinetics of allergen‐ and microbe‐induced IL‐4 and IFN‐γ mRNA expression in PBMC of pollen‐allergic patients

Ist Teil von

• Allergy (Copenhagen), 2003-01, Vol.58 (1), p.62-66

Ort / Verlag

Oxford, UK: Munksgaard International Publishers

Erscheinungsjahr

2003

Quelle

Wiley-Blackwell Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background: According to a hypothesis allergens induce Th2 responses in allergic patients, and microbes induce Th1 responses. We studied the kinetics of in vitro allergen‐, tuberculin (PPD)‐ and tetanus toxin (TT)‐induced IFN‐γ and IL‐4 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures of pollen‐allergic patients and healthy controls. Methods: PBMC of 10 birch or timothy pollen‐allergic patients and of 13 healthy controls were stimulated in vitro with allergen (birch or timothy), PPD or TT. Pellets and supernatants were collected at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after stimulation. IFN‐γ and IL‐4 production was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and mRNA expression using RT‐PCR and time‐resolved fluorometry. Results: Allergen induced IFN‐γ production and mRNA expression in PBMC more in allergic patients than in healthy controls. Also allergen induced IL‐4 mRNA expression more in allergic patients than in healthy controls. PPD induced IFN‐γ mRNA expression both in allergic patients and healthy controls, whereas IFN‐γ production was induced only in healthy controls and IL‐4 was not induced at all. TT induced IFN‐γ mRNA expression in both groups, IFN‐γ production in allergic patients, and IL‐4 mRNA expression in both allergic patients and healthy controls. Conclusions: In vitro stimulation with allergen induced both IFN‐γ and IL‐4 mRNA expression of PBMC in allergic patients. These observations challenge the clearcut division of microbe‐specific Th1 and allergen‐specific Th2 responses in peripheral blood.