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Organic dust-induced interleukin-12 production activates T- and natural killer cells

¹ Dept of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Lung Research Laboratory L2:01, Karolinska Hospital, and ² Lung and Allergy Research, the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

CORRESPONDENCE: C. Müller-Suur, Dept of Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Lung Research Laboratory L2:01, Karolinska Hospital, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden. Fax: 46 851775451. E-mail: lotta.muller-suur@ks.se

Keywords: intracellular cytokines, lymphocyte stimulation, organic dust

Received: March 12, 2002
Accepted April 23, 2002

Exposure in swine confinement buildings causes intense airway inflammation and lymphocyte activation, as assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage. To further clarify the T-cell activation, the present in vitro study focused on intracellular cytokine production following exposure to organic dust from swine houses.

Whole blood from healthy donors was incubated with swine dust, phytohaemagglutinin (positive control) or Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640 medium (negative control), and the production of intracellular interferon (IFN)-, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12 was analysed by flow cytometry. Cells were double stained for specific cell surface markers on T-cells (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+), natural killer (NK) cells (CD56+CD16+) and monocytes (defined as CD14+ cells).

Following 1 h of incubation of whole blood with swine dust, CD14+ cells produced high levels of TNF- and IL-12, whereas CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells and CD56+CD16+ NK cells required a longer incubation time (22 h) to produce IFN- and TNF-. When antibodies that block the IL-12 receptor were added to whole blood incubated with swine dust, NK cell production of IFN- was attenuated and CD69 expression on CD3+ cells decreased.

In conclusion, this study indicates that swine dust can, at least in part, stimulate phagocytic cells to activate natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes through the production of interleukin-12.