Patients undergoing hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) display an airway neutrophilic
inflammation before
transplantation that persists over the years. In this study, we have investigated the
cytokine profile over a period of 1 year in the sputum supernatant of patients who underwent HSCT. We have measured sputum supernatant levels of TNF-α, TGF-β1,
IL-4,
IL-5,
IL-6,
IL-8,
IL-10,
IL-13,
IL-17 and IFN-γ in 49 HSCT patients and compared the results with those found in 40
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (
COPD) and 54 healthy subjects matched for age. Compared with healthy subjects, before
transplantation, HSCT patients exhibited raised levels of
IL-6 (P<0.001) and
IL-8 (P<0.05) while the other
cytokines were generally poorly detectable. This picture was rather similar to that seen in
COPD even if
cytokine levels were much greater in the latter, with
IL-8 being significantly greater in
COPD than in HSCT patients (P<0.0001). In the 1 year following
transplantation, sputum
IL-6 and
IL-8 did not differ from those in healthy subjects. Overall in HSCT patients, sputum
IL-8 and
IL-6 correlated with sputum neutrophil counts (r=0.4, P<0.0001; r=0.42, P<0.0001, respectively). In conclusion, sputum
IL-6 and
IL-8 may play a role in neutrophilic airway
inflammation seen in patients undergoing HSCT.