Abstract
Immune system functionality has been commonly assessed by a whole-blood or isolated-cell stimulation assay. The aim of this study was to determine whether cytokine production in whole-blood-stimulated samples is influenced by age, sex, and smoking. A descriptive cross-sectional study in 253 healthy participants aged 18–55 years was conducted. Whole blood samples were stimulated for 24 h with LPS and concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α were determined in the culture media. Among parameters considered, statistical regression analysis indicated that smoking (change in R2 = 0.064, p < 0.001) and sex (change in R2 = 0.070, p < 0.001) were the main predictors for IL-10 production, with higher values for women and non-smokers. Age was also found to be a significant predictor (change in R2 = 0.021, p < 0.001), with higher values for younger ages. Age (change in R2 = 0.089, p = 0.013) and smoking (change in R2 = 0.037, p = 0.002) were found to be negative predictors for IL-6 production. Regarding TNF-α-stimulated production, age (change in R2 = 0.029, p = 0.009) and smoking (change in R2 = 0.022, p = 0.022) were found to be negative predictors. Furthermore, sex (change in R2 = 0.016, p = 0.045) was found to be a significant predictor, with lower values for women. In conclusion, sex, age, and smoking were found to be independent determinants of stimulated cytokine production. While female sex is associated with higher IL-10 and lower TNF-α production, aging and smoking are associated with lower IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α production.
Highlights
The capacity of leukocytes to produce cytokines upon adequate challenge has been considered an interesting question with potential consequences for the entire functional capacity of the immune system [1]
The aim of this study was to determine whether the cytokine production in wholeblood-stimulated samples from a young and healthy population is influenced by age, sex, and smoking
Age, and smoking have been found as mutually independent determinants of stimulated cytokine production, with a consistent contribution as the regression coefficients of the regression analysis hardly change when another determinant was added to the model (Tables 4 and 5)
Summary
The capacity of leukocytes to produce cytokines upon adequate challenge has been considered an interesting question with potential consequences for the entire functional capacity of the immune system [1]. In this regard, immune responsiveness has been commonly assessed by a whole-blood or isolated-cell stimulation assay, which measures the culture concentration of cytokines produced by immune cells upon stimulation with, among others, the Gram-negative stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Immune responsiveness has been commonly assessed by a whole-blood or isolated-cell stimulation assay, which measures the culture concentration of cytokines produced by immune cells upon stimulation with, among others, the Gram-negative stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Whether the cytokine production response plays a causal role in the development of these diseases still needs to be determined [2]
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