Relationship between blood monocyte subsets with activation markers and macrophages in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

The cells from monocyte line play important role as regulators of cancer development and progression. Monocytes present pro- and anti- tumour immunity, including secretion of mediators, stimulations of phagocytose, promotions angiogenesis and differentiation into macrophages. Macrophages are predominant in lung cancer environment and could be evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage BALF.

The aim of the study was analysis of blood monocyte subtypes: classical, intermediate and non-classical in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to correlate them with BALF macrophages from the lung affected by cancer (clBALF) and healthy lung (hlBALF), as a control.

24 patients with NSCLC were investigated. Monocytes subtyping and macrophages counts were performed by flow cytometry methods with panel of monoclonal antibodies.

There are three types of monocytes in PB: the highest proportion of the classical (CD14++CD16−), lower proportion of the non-classical (CD14+CD16++) and the lowest proportion of intermediate moncoytes (CD14++CD16+), respectively 76.2 vs 10.9 vs 7.9%. We observed the higher proportion of macrophages in clBALF then in hlBALF (33.4 vs 22.4%, p< 0.05). There were positive correlations between classical CD11c+, intermediate CD11c+, intermediate HLA-DR+ monocytes in PB with macrophages in clBALF. We didn’t observe any correlation between any subsets of monocytes and macrophages from hlBALF.

We present various monocyte subtypes in the blood of NSCLC with predominance of classic monocytes CD14++CD16-. The correlation of intermediate monocytes with CD11c+ and HLA-DR+ expression with macrophages from NSCLC milieu may indicate a role of these subsets in cancer immunity.