Inverse immunological responses induced by allergic rhinitis and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

• Published in: PloS one 2014-01, Vol.9 (1), p.e86796-e86796
• Main Authors: Millrud, Camilla Rydberg, Hylander, Terese, Kumlien Georen, Susanna, Kågedal, Åsa, Winqvist, Ola, Cardell, Lars Olaf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive immunity; Adaptive Immunity - immunology; Adult; Aged; Allergic rhinitis; Allergies; Blood; Cancer; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - blood; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - immunology; CpG islands; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Cytometry; Disease; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Female; Flow Cytometry; Head & neck cancer; Head and neck cancer; Head and Neck Neoplasms - blood; Head and Neck Neoplasms - immunology; Hospitals; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immune response; Immune system; Immunity, Innate - immunology; Immunoassay; Immunology; Immunotherapy; Inflammation; Leukocytes; Leukocytes (mononuclear); Leukocytes (polymorphonuclear); Leukocytes, Mononuclear - metabolism; Lipopolysaccharides; Lymphatic system; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Middle Aged; Multiplexing; Patients; Penicillin; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Polymerase chain reaction; Proteins; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Respiratory tract; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rhinitis; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - blood; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - immunology; Science; Squamous cell carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Statistics, Nonparametric; T cells; Toll-like receptors; Toll-Like Receptors - metabolism
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086796

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the relation between allergy and cancer with contradicting conclusions, and reports on immunological differences are scarce. By focusing on inflammation, the present study was designed to compare the immune response induced by allergic rhinitis (AR) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Blood and serum was obtained from patients with symptomatic seasonal AR, and newly detected HNSCC, as well as healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were isolated and cultured with or without the toll-like receptor ligands, Pam3CSK4, LPS, R837, and CpG. Cellular activation and cytokine release were assessed with ELISA, Luminex Multiplex Immunoassay, flow cytometry, and real-time RT-PCR. Sera from HNSCC patients showed elevated levels of innate immune cytokines, and exhibited a response profile consistent with an increased innate immune reaction. In contrast, sera and stimulated PBMC from AR patients displayed increased concentrations of T cell related cytokines, consistent with an adaptive immune response. The presented data demonstrate that AR and HNSCC induce two distinct immunological processes, indicating an inverse association between the immunological responses seen in patients with allergy and cancer of the upper airway.