Effect of substance P on production of interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chronic severe atopic dermatitis patients.
- Author:
Ji Hyun LIM
1
;
Hoon KANG
;
Young Min PARK
;
Sang Hyun CHO
;
Seung Yeon LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, Catholic University, College of Medicine.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Atopic dermatitis;
substance P;
interleukin-12;
interferon-gamma
- MeSH:
Dermatitis, Atopic*;
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay;
Humans;
Immunomodulation;
Interferon-gamma*;
Interleukin-12*;
Nerve Fibers;
Neuropeptides;
Phenotype;
Staphylococcus aureus;
Substance P*;
T-Lymphocytes
- From:Journal of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
2001;21(4):636-646
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: In atopic patients, allergen-specific T cells express the Th2 phenotype. It is known that interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a major cytokine for the induction of Th1 responses and that a reduced release of IL-12 in atopic dermatitis patient is closely related to reduced production of interferon-gamma(INF-gamma). Recently, it has been reported that substance P (SP) positive nerve fibers express increased IL-12 and that elevated levels of this neuropeptide were seen in AD patients. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to examine the effects of SP and its fragment on the production of IL-12 and INF-gamma from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of chronic severe atopic dermatitis (AD) patients, and moreover to establish neuro-immunomodulatory mechanisms in chronic severe AD patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The PBMCs from fifteen chronic severe AD patients and non-atopic individuals were stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain. After stimulating the PBMCs, the effects of SP and SP fragments (SP1-4 and SP4-11) on the production of IL-12 and INF-gamma were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The levels of IL-12 and INF-gamma were significantly decreased in un-stimulated AD patients than in non-atopic controls. In chronic severe AD patients, SP and SP4-11 significantly increased the production of both IL-12 and INF-gamma compared to non-atopic controls. The enhancing effect of SP and SP4-11 was most significant at the concentrations of 10-8M and 10-6M. When the spantide, an SP antagonist, was added to SP and SP4-11 stimulated PBMCs, the productions of IL-12 and INF-gamma were downregulated in chronic severe AD patients but not in non-atopic controls. In contrast, SP1-4 fragment did not show any specific cytokine production. CONCLUSION: These data suggests that SP and SP4-11, a carboxyl terminal of SP, are involved in the immunomodulation of chronic severe AD patient by regulating IL-12 and INF-gamma production, while SP1-4, an amino terminal of SP, has no effect on the cytokine production in AD patients.
