THE ROLE OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN RECRUITMENT OF CELLS IN NASAL INFLAMMATION

Cytokines and cell adhesion receptors play a pivotal role in the recru itment of cells from the peripheral blood into inflamed tissue. Allerg ic rhinifis has previously been described as an inflammatory reaction characterised by the migration of granulocytes into the nasal mucosa. Using this model, we investigated the release of proinflammatory cytok ines (interleukin IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-alph a TNF-alpha) and the expression of cell adhesion molecules (ELAM-1, IC AM-1 and LFA-1) in two studies involving biopsies as well as lavage an d brush techniques. IL-1beta and TNF-alpha can be found rapidly after allergen exposure and seem to initiate the cellular infiltration. The release of the chemokine IL-8 correlates with the continuously increas ing number of granulocytes on the mucosal surface. Allergic rhinitis s ubjects showed significantly increased secretion levels of the proinfl ammatory cytokines IL-1beta and IL-6 and of the chemokine Il-8. These findings correspond to a higher expression of the adhesion receptors E LAM-1, ICAM-1 and LFA-1 in allergic mucosa. We conclude that proinflam matory cytokines regulate the cell infiltration by the induction of ad hesion receptor expression.