400. Radiat Res. 1993 Oct;136(1):37-41.
Release of interleukin-1 by human alveolar macrophages after in vitro
irradiation.
O'Brien-Ladner A(1), Nelson ME, Kimler BF, Wesselius LJ.
Author information:
(1)Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Kansas Medical
Center, Kansas City 66160-7381.
Therapeutic thoracic irradiation may induce two late pulmonary injury syndromes:
radiation pneumonitis and subsequent pulmonary fibrosis. The alveolar macrophage
has been considered a radioresistant cell and not a target cell involved in the
pathogenesis of either type of radiation-induced lung injury. Alveolar
macrophage-derived cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis
factor (TNF), have been demonstrated to participate in inflammatory and fibrotic
responses in the lung after various other types of lung injury. To evaluate
whether the release of cytokines by alveolar macrophages is induced by radiation
doses used clinically, alveolar macrophages recovered from nonsmoking volunteers
were exposed in vitro to a single dose of 2 Gy and then maintained in culture for
18 h. Culture supernatants and cell lysates were then recovered and analyzed for
IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta by radioimmunoassay. Supernatants of irradiated alveolar
macrophages contained significantly increased amounts of IL-1 alpha (P < 0.04)
and IL-1 beta (P < 0.02) as well as total IL-1 (IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta) (P <
0.02) compared to nonirradiated alveolar macrophages. Cell lysates of irradiated
alveolar macrophages also contained increased amounts of IL-1 alpha and IL-1
beta, although differences from controls were not significant. The finding of
increased release of IL-1 by alveolar macrophages after exposure to a single,
clinically relevant dose of radiation suggests that the function of human
alveolar macrophages is likely altered during therapeutic use of thoracic
irradiation. Whether this release of IL-1 by alveolar macrophages contributes to
early lung inflammation induced by thoracic irradiation is unclear.
PMID: 8210336 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]