All issues > Volume 49(9); 2006

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2006;49(9):977-982. Published online September 15, 2006.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced production of proasthmatic mediators in airway epithelium

Kyung Won KW Kim¹, Byung Chul BC Lee², Kyung Eun KE Lee¹, Eun Soo ES Kim¹, Tae Won TW Song¹, Mi Yeoun MY Park², Myung Hyun MH Sohn¹, Kyu-Earn KE Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Allergy, Yonsei University College of Medicine
²Rickettsial and Zoonotic Diseases Division, Seoul, Korea Department of Microbiology*, National Insti

Correspondence Kyu-Earn KE Kim ,Email: kekim@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: There has been an increasing amount of literature concerning the association between Mycoplasma pneumoniae and asthma pathogenesis. Interleukin(IL)-6 stimulates the differentiation of monocytes, and can promote Th2 differentiation and simultaneously inhibit Th1 polarization. IL-8 is a potent chemoattractant and, it has been suggested, has a role in asthma pathogenesis. Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by airway epithelium may be important in the regulation of airway inflammation and reactivity. Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) has been reported to be a mediator of airway remodeling in asthma. We investigated the effects of M. pneumoniae on IL-6, IL-8, NO and VEGF production in human respiratory epithelial cells.
Methods
: A549 cells were cultured and inoculated with M. pneumoniae at a dose of 20 cfu/cell. After infection, the presence of M. pneumoniae in epithelial cell cultures was monitored by immunofluorescence and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) detection. IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. NO was measured using the standard Griess reaction.
Results
: In A549 cells, M. pneumoniaeinduced IL-6, IL-8, NO and VEGF release in time-dependent manners. It also induced mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF in similar manners.
Conclusion
: These observations suggest that M. pneumoniae might have a role in the pathogenesis of the allergic inflammation of bronchial asthma.

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