ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-8 CONCENTRATION IN NASAL SECRETIONS AND SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS OF EXPERIMENTAL RHINOVIRUS COLDS

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exper imental rhinovirus infection and the elaboration of interleukin-8 (IL- 8) into nasal secretions of volunteers and to determine the effect of pentoxifylline on IL-8 elaboration and rhinovirus-associated common co ld symptoms. Fifty-four subjects with experimental rhinovirus infectio ns and 20 sham-inoculated subjects were studied. Pentoxifylline had no effect on rhinovirus-induced symptoms or nasal-secretion IL-8 concent rations. IL-8 concentrations were significantly greater in nasal secre tions from infected symptomatic subjects than in those from infected a symptomatic or sham-challenged subjects on days 2-4 after virus challe nge. In infected subjects, there was significant rank correlation betw een nasal obstruction severity, rhinorrhea severity, and nasal-wash al bumin concentrations and the change in IL-8 concentration from baselin e on days 2-4 after virus challenge.