U. Chopra et al., TH1 PATTERN OF CYTOKINE SECRETION BY SPLENIC CELLS FROM PYELONEPHRITIC MICE AFTER IN-VITRO STIMULATION WITH HSP-65 OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI, Journal of Medical Microbiology, 46(2), 1997, pp. 139-144
Splenic lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice with E
scherichia coli pyelonephritis were obtained at various intervals afte
r infection. These cells were stimulated in vitro with different antig
ens and cytokine release was assayed in the supernate of the cultured
cells. It was observed that both specific antigens such as outer-membr
ane proteins (OMPs), porins and heat-shock protein-65 (hsp-65), as wel
l as nonspecific mitogens such as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), were able
to induce cytokine production by splenic cells from infected mice. Of
all these antigens, hsp-65 was found to be the best inducer of cytoki
ne release. In the acute stage of pyelonephritis, the release of inter
leukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was found to increase
with time; both reached their peak values on the seventh day after in
fection. The TH1 pattern of cytokine secretion by splenic cells was ob
served, i.e., IL-2 and IFN-gamma, whereas there was complete absence o
f IL-4 secretion. In the chronic stage of pyelonephritis, i.e., 150 da
ys after infection, a decrease in the level of IL-2 and IFN-gamma was
observed. Peritoneal macrophages released IL-1 on stimulation with hsp
-65, which increased with the progression of disease. The possible imp
lications of this study for the disease process are discussed.