Cytokine expression in bronchial biopsies of cystic fibrosis patients with and without acute exacerbation

In patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), the progression of pulmonary disease differs considerably, even in identical cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-genotypes which could reflect an additional influence of the host's immune response. This study therefore measured cytokine expression patterns in CF patients with different clinical presentation. Expression of interleukin (IL)-8, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-4, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)beta(I) was assessed in bronchial mucosal biopsies of eight CF patients with acute exacerbation (age 6.0-14.2 yrs), eight CF patients with chronic stable disease (age 7.3-17.4 yrs), and in five normal control subjects by semiquantitative and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction combined with histopathological assessment and immunohistochemical staining. All CF patients expressed IL-8. In acute exacerbation, expression of TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma was either absent or extremely low. In contrast, all patients with stable disease strongly expressed TGF-beta1. The highest expression of TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma was found in CF patients with mild disease and a history of infrequent exacerbations. No correlation was found between the expression of IL-4 and IL-10 and patient history. In normal control subjects, only a weak expression of TGF-beta1 was observed. These results show a remarkable correlation between cytokine pattern and the clinical course of cystic fibrosis. High expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 and interferon gamma was associated with mild disease, whereas no or very weak expression of these cytokines was typical for patients with acute disease and frequent exacerbations suggesting a contribution of the immune response to the progression of pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis.

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