期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1999
卷号：96
期号：24
页码：13962-13966
DOI：10.1073/pnas.96.24.13962
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in natural killer cell activation and T helper 1 (Th1) cell responses. Mast cells and basophils are major inducers and effectors of allergic inflammation. Here we show that basophils and mast cells derived by culture of bone marrow cells with IL-3 for 10 days express IL-18R chain and that basophils produce large amounts of IL-4 and IL-13 in response to stimulation with IL-3 and IL-18. Injection of IL-12 and IL-18 inhibits IgE production in helminth-infected wild-type mice and abolishes the capacity of their basophils to produce IL-4 and IL-13 in response to stimulation either with IL-3 and IL-18 or with Fc{varepsilon}R cross-linkage. By contrast, this combination of cytokines actually increases IgE levels in helminth-infected IFN-{gamma}-/- mice and enhances IL-4 and IL-13 production by their basophils. Furthermore, injection of IL-18 alone enhances basophil production of IL-4 and histamine both in wild-type and IFN-{gamma}-/- mice. Thus, IL-18 has the potential to stimulate basophils but, when given with IL-12, exhibits an antiallergic action in vivo.
