Macrophage immunophenotypic and monocyte activation markers in the immune response in lung cancer

Abstract

Macrophages play an important role in the suppression of immune anti-cancer response, but little is known about whole macrophage phenotype in the lung cancer environment, which may be evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid BALF. We confirmed the differences between the two compartments the lung with tumor and healthy in our previous researches related to other elements of the immune system.

The aim of this study was to characterize macrophages in BALF from lung affected by cancer clBALF and healthy lung hlBALF, of the same patient regarding their individual macrophage polarization and their correlation with monocytes activation in blood.

Patients with confirmed lung cancer were investigated. Flow cytometry, which allows multi-parameter evaluation of surface and cytoplasmic markers of cells was used. In this study we used panel of monoclonal antibodies CD206 CD163 CD80 CD86 CD40 CD45, Arginase and CD68 for macrophages detailed analyzing. Moreover monocytes activation was analyzed.

We found population of macrophages with immunophenotype cCD68+bright CD206+bright CD163+bright CD80+ CD86+ CD40+bright CD45+ cArginase+. We didn’t observe differences in the expression of the analyzed antigens between clBALF and hlBLAF. There were 6.0% (5.4-7.2) monocytes in the peripheral blood, of which 11.8% (9.7-16.1) had an activated immunophenotype CD16+ CD62L- CD11c+bright CD68+ CD18+ CD14+dim.

No evidence for significant macrophage polarization in relation to lung sides in cancer was found. But this preliminary study confirmed the usefulness of flow cytometry then immunocytochemistry. Interestingly, detection of activated monocytes and their monitoring in the blood may be rapid test in lung cancer.