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Intracellular cytokine production and cytokine receptor interaction of cord mononuclear cells: relevance to cord blood transplantation
Author(s) -
Han P.,
Hodge G.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1999.01696.x
Subject(s) - cord blood , cytokine , immunology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , medicine , transplantation , immune system , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
A ‘cytokine storm’ consisting of IL‐1, IL‐2, IL‐12, IFNγ and TNFα is considered important in the development of graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD). These cytokines activate effector cells or damage host tissues. Cord blood transplantation has been associated with a low incidence of GvHD. We hypothesized that the low incidence of GvHD relates to the cord mononuclear cells being poor producers of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. The cytokine profile (IL‐1α/β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐12, IFNγ and TNFα) of cord blood cells induced by immune stimuli was determined in heparinized whole blood. Compared to adult, cord blood CD3 + and NK cells produced less IFNγ, less cord blood CD3 + cells and monocytes produced TNFα and less monocytes produced IL‐1α/β. Although more cord T cells produced IL‐2 compared to adult T cells at 4 h, adult T cells produced more at 24 h. Cord blood had similar proportions of monocytes to adult producing IL‐6, IL‐10 and IL‐12. Both adult and cord mononuclear cells constitutively expressed receptors for IFNγ and TNFα but not IL‐12. In contrast to the adult cells, cord CD3 + and NK cells did not express IL‐12 receptor but did up‐regulate IL‐10 receptor after mitogenic stimulation. The findings of this study indicate that the cord blood cytokine‐receptor network is biased towards anti‐inflammatory activity compared to adult and helps to explain the decreased incidence of GVHD in cord blood transplantation.