Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in man. VII. Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in patients with bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis

Interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 production of ovalbumin-stimulated lymphocytes in egg-sensitive children

BACKGROUND

The causal relation between egg allergy and cytokines derived from lymphocytes is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) production of ovalbumin-stimulated and interleukin-2 (IL-2)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from egg-sensitive patients was investigated and compared with that of stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from nonatopic healthy children.

METHODS

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from egg-sensitive patients and nonatopic healthy children were cultured with ovalbumin and IL-2 for seven days. The IFN-gamma and IL-4 concentrations in culture supernatants of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells were investigated.

RESULTS

The levels of IFN-gamma production of only IL-2-stimulated or both ovalbumin-stimulated and IL-2-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from egg-sensitive patients with atopic dermatitis was significantly higher than that of healthy children and that of egg-sensitive patients with immediate allergic symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased IFN-gamma production by lymphocytes after IL-2 and antigen stimulation has important implications for the mechanism of food-sensitive atopic dermatitis.

Interleukin-2 production of lymphocytes in food sensitive atopic dermatitis

The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to food antigens in 22 patients with food sensitive atopic dermatitis were significantly higher than the responses of healthy children and food sensitive children with immediate symptoms. Moreover, the activity of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in supernatants of food antigen stimulated PBMC cultures from patients with atopic dermatitis was significantly higher than that in healthy children and food sensitive children with immediate symptoms. The activity of IL-2 in culture supernatants of separated cell populations stimulated with food antigens from patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy children was investigated. The activity of IL-2 in supernatants of food antigen stimulated T cell cultures could be detected in patients with atopic dermatitis but not in healthy children. These results suggest that the increased IL-2 production after food antigen stimulation is due to increased T cell activity in food sensitive atopic dermatitis.

Use of an autologous reaction in vitro to assess contributions of T and B lymphocytes to immune hyperreactivity of atopics

The in-vitro proliferation reaction of peripheral blood lymphocytes (measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation) to autologous pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-induced lymphoblasts (PWM-lymphoblast-stimulated autologous mixed leucocyte reaction, PWM.AMLR) was used as a measure of immune hyperreactivity for comparison of atopic with non-atopic individuals. Accordingly, 10/24 non-atopics responded in the PWM.AMLR, and 19/19 atopics reacting to inhaled allergens responded. Autologous stimulation was associated with release of mitogenic factors from the PWM-activated stimulating cells (2/15 non-atopics, 9/15 atopics). For non-atopics, stimulation delivered by staphylococcus A (SAC)-activated cells was similar to that delivered by PWM-induced cells, while in atopics, the SAC.AMLR was never more than 50% of the PWM.AMLR, indicating a possible T cell component. Separation by panning of the stimulation cells into lymphocyte subsets supported the notion that stimulation involved a cooperation between B and T4+ T cells. It is proposed that a positive PWM.AMLR is dependent upon an initial B cell activation followed by the PWM stimulus dependent upon a previous T cell activation, where atopics have more lymphocytes in an activated state than healthy non-atopics. Such a baseline priming may contribute to an innate sensitivity of atopics to environmental allergens.

Natural killer and interleukin-2 induced cytotoxicity in asthmatics. I. Effect of acute antigen-specific challenge

Natural killer (NK) cell activity and interleukin-2 (IL-2) induced cytotoxicity to NK-resistant targets T24 in a group of patients with grass pollen seasonal asthma were investigated. Acute bronchial provocation with this antigen was also performed and blood samples were taken before and 15 min after the maximal clinical response. NK activity was elevated in this group but there was a significant decrease after acute challenge. IL-2 induced cytotoxicity was also increased and declined after antigen challenge. Limiting dilution analysis for minimal frequencies of precursors of the IL-2 induced killer cells was introduced and showed increased numbers of lymphokine-activated killing precursors in this group of patients. These data might indicate the aberrations of the IL-2 system in immediate type allergy but the clinical significance of these findings remains to be determined.