Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in mice

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 Apr;151(4):1233-8. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/151.4.1233.

Abstract

We hypothesized that therapy with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) would decrease intensity of murine Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia by upregulating alveolar macrophage function. Mice were depleted of CD4+ T lymphocytes and then inoculated intratracheally with P. carinii. Four weeks later, they received recombinant murine GM-CSF (rmGM-CSF) 5 micrograms/d subcutaneously for 7 and 14 d. At the end of therapy lung tissue was scored for intensity of P. carinii infection by silver methenamine stain and for inflammation by hematoxylin-eosin stain. We found that rmGM-CSF therapy significant decreased the intensity scores of PCP infection in comparison to control mice (1.88 +/- 0.47 vs 3.06 +/- 0.12, p < 0.001). Inflammation scores were not significantly different in the rmGM-CSF group compared with the control group (1.83 +/- 0.47 vs 2.83 +/- 0.67). Alveolar macrophages from mice treated with rmGM-CSF released significantly more tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) than cells from control mice after in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alone (2.65 +/- 0.30 vs 1.45 +/- 0.26 ng/ml, p = 0.01) or with LPS plus murine recombinant interferon-gamma (4.16 +/- 0.51 vs 2.25 +/- 0.34 ng/ml, p = 0.01). We conclude that GM-CSF therapy reduces the intensity of PCP and this effect is associated with an enhanced alveolar macrophage TNF-alpha production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / therapeutic use*
  • Lung / pathology
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / drug therapy*
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / pathology
  • Recombinant Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor