サルコイドーシス患者肺胞マクロファージのサイトカイン産生能に関する研究

抄録

The role of cytokines produced from alveolar macrophages (AMs) in the compartmentalized T-cell activation in pulmonary sarcoidosis is poorly understood. Herein, we demonstrate the production of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) by alveolar macrophages from 36 patients with sarcoidosis and 26 normal subjects. Non-stimulated AMs from sarcoidosis patients spontaneously produced IL-6, as well as TNF-α. The spontaneous production of IL-6 was significantly increased in the patients with sarcoidosis than in the normal subjects, but not that of TNF-α. Furthermore, the amount of TNF-α and IL-6 produced from AMs stimulated by Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) or lipopolysaccharide was significantly increased in patients with sarcoidosis compared to the normal subjects. TNF-α production from AMs stimulated by P. acnes closely correlated to the IL-6 production from AMs stimulated by P. acnes. Moreover, the amounts of TNF-α as well as IL-6 produced from AMs stimulated by P. acnes correlated to the proportion of lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.
These findings suggest that AMs are activated in sarcoidosis and that these cells produce IL-6 and TNF-α, which are responsible for T-cell activation.