Peripheral T-cell lymphomas - cytokine profile and characteristic interleukin-4 and tumor-necrosis-factor
A Sheikha1, M Aljanadi, M Alshehri
1KING SAUD UNIV,COLL MED,DEPT INTERNAL MED,ABHA,SAUDI ARABIA. KING SAUD UNIV,COLL MED,DEPT SURG,ABHA,SAUDI ARABIA. KING SAUD UNIV,COLL MED,DEPT CLIN IMMUNOL,ABHA,SAUDI ARABIA. ASIR CENT HOSP,ABHA,SAUDI ARABIA.
Insights
Peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) is associated with altered cytokine production. This study found elevated interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) but decreased interleukin-4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), indicating immune dysfunction in PTCL.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cytokines play crucial roles in inflammation, cell proliferation, and host defense.
- Peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a group of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro production of key cytokines in patients with PTCL.
- To correlate cytokine profiles with disease characteristics and immune function in PTCL.
Main Methods:
- Phenotypic and histologic characterization of ten PTCL cases.
- Measurement of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) production from mononuclear cells.
- Analysis of cytokine production spontaneously and in response to concanavalin A stimulation.
Main Results:
- PTCL cases exhibited significantly elevated spontaneous and stimulated production of IFN-gamma and IL-6.
- Production of IL-4 and TNFalpha was markedly decreased in cells from both blood and lymph nodes of PTCL patients.
- Three gammadelta PTCL subtypes were identified through immunophenotyping.
Conclusions:
- The observed cytokine profile in PTCL suggests a severe immune dysfunction, characterized by increased pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-6) and decreased regulatory/effector cytokines (IL-4, TNFalpha).
- The deficient production of IL-4 and TNFalpha may contribute to the pathogenesis or indicate a loss of regulatory control within the cytokine network in PTCL.
- Elevated IFN-gamma and IL-6 levels might be implicated in the etiology, inflammatory response, or overall disease progression of PTCL.
Abstract:
Because of the recent evidence of involvement of cytokines in the inflammatory processes, cellular proliferation and host defence mechanism, we have measured the in vitro production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) from the phenotypically and histologically characterized ten peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) cases. The immunophenotypic study had identified three gammadelta PTCL cases (CD3-CD4+CD8+, one case and CD3+CD4-CD8, two cases). Mononuclear cells obtained from the lymph node cells of PTCL cases, irrespective of histologic type, were found to produce highly elevated levels of IFN-gamma and IL-6 both spontaneously and in response to concanavalin A stimulations. However, IL-4 and TNFalpha production was characteristically decreased from cells obtained from both blood and lymph nodes. IL-4 and TNFalpha have a number of pleiotropic activities in particular stimulation of various immune effector functions. Their deficient production is an important indication of severe immune dysfunction in this disease. However, the meaning of their deficient production is currently unclear. It may be a loss of physiologic regulation within the cytokine network. On the contrary, elevated IFN-gamma and IL-6 production may be important in etiology, inflammatory response or disease pathogenesis.
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