1. Suppression of human anti-inflammatory plasma cytokines IL-10 and IL-1RA with elevation of proinflammatory cytokine IFN-gamma during the isolation of the Antarctic winter.
- Author
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Shearer WT, Lee BN, Cron SG, Rosenblatt HM, Smith EO, Lugg DJ, Nickolls PM, Sharp RM, Rollings K, and Reuben JM
- Subjects
- Antarctic Regions, Humans, Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein, Interleukin-10 blood, Interleukin-12 biosynthesis, Sialoglycoproteins blood, Interferon-gamma blood, Interleukin-10 antagonists & inhibitors, Seasons, Sialoglycoproteins antagonists & inhibitors
- Abstract
Cellular immune function has been shown to be decreased and latent virus shedding to be increased in human beings isolated during the Antarctic winter, a model used for assessing some effects of space flight. However, the balance of proinflammatory (IFN-gamma) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and IL-1RA) cytokines has not previously been evaluated. We therefore sought to determine whether isolation during the Antarctic winter would alter the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine balance. Cytokine levels were measured with ELISA in monthly plasma samples from January through September 1999 in 21 study subjects in the Antarctic and 7 control subjects on Macquarie Island. There was a significant time-dependent increase in plasma IFN-gamma (P =.039) as well as decreases in IL-10 (P =.042) and IL-1RA (P =.053) in the study subjects compared with the control subjects. The study subjects also had significantly increased plasma IFN-gamma levels (P < or =.045) but decreased IL-10 and IL-1RA levels (P < or =.036) at individual time points of isolation. Isolation of human beings in the Antarctic appears to shift the plasma cytokine balance toward a proinflammatory profile. These observations are consistent with T-cell activation that might be due to activation of latent viruses, and they could hold importance for determining the risks of space flight.
- Published
- 2002
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