Increased production of interleukin-10 in children with Down syndrome upon ex vivo stimulation with Streptococcus pneumoniae

Chantal J. M. Broers*, Reinoud J. B. J. Gemke, Servaas A. Morre, Michel E. Weijerman, Anne Marceline van Furth

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased susceptibility to infections, due to altered humoral and/or cellular immunity. The aim of the study was to determine the cytokine production in whole blood of children with DS upon stimulation with heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in comparison with their healthy siblings. METHODS: Whole blood of 61 children with DS and 57 of their healthy siblings was stimulated with 200 ng/ml LPS and 4x10(7) colony-forming units/ml S. pneumoniae during 6, 24, and 48 h. Concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p70, and IL-10 were determined at all time points. RESULTS: Children with DS show an increased IL-10 production upon stimulation with S. pneumoniae compared to their healthy siblings. At most time points, no significant differences were seen in cytokine production upon stimulation with LPS. CONCLUSION: Children with DS may be prone to a severe course of pneumococcal pneumonia, because of an increased anti-inflammatory response.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)109-113
JournalPediatric Research
Volume75
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2014

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