Effects of macrolides on interleukin-8 secretion from human nasal epithelial cells

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology 2000, Vol.257 (4), p.199-204
• Main Authors: FUJITA, K, SHIMIZU, T, MAJIMA, Y, SAKAKURA, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Child; Chronic Disease; Clarithromycin - administration & dosage; Clarithromycin - pharmacology; Clarithromycin - therapeutic use; Drug Administration Schedule; Epithelium - drug effects; Epithelium - secretion; Erythromycin - administration & dosage; Erythromycin - pharmacology; Erythromycin - therapeutic use; Humans; Interleukin-1 - pharmacology; Interleukin-8 - metabolism; Interleukin-8 - secretion; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Antibiotics with multiple activities; Nasal Mucosa - drug effects; Nasal Mucosa - secretion; Neutrophils - metabolism; Non tumoral diseases; Nose - cytology; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Sinusitis - drug therapy; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s004050050222

Low-dose, long-term macrolide treatment has recently been reported to be very effective in patients with chronic airway diseases. We examined the in vivo and in vitro effects of 14-membered macrolide antibiotics erythromycin (EM) and clarithromycin (CAM) on interleukin (IL)-8 secretion from human nasal epithelial cells. Fifteen patients with chronic sinusitis received macrolide treatment (CAM 400 mg/day) for 1 to 3 months. The number of infiltrated neutrophils and IL-8 concentrations in the nasal discharges of these patients decreased significantly at 1 to 2 months after the treatment. In vitro effects of EM and CAM on IL-8 secretion were examined in nasal epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface. After 14-day culture in the air-liquid interface, macrolide antibiotics were added in medium for 24 h. EM and CAM at concentrations of 10(-4) M did not affect spontaneous secretions or IL-1 beta-induced secretions of IL-8 either apically or basolaterally. When cells were preincubated with 10(-4) M CAM for 7 days, the IL-1 beta-induced secretion of IL-8 decreased significantly. However, no difference was observed between the effects of 10(-4) M CAM and 10(-4) M josamycin, a 16-membered macrolide. These results suggest that macrolide treatment inhibits neutrophil infiltration and IL-8 secretion in nasal epithelium in vivo and that these clinical effects depend on a mechanism other than the direct action of macrolide on nasal epithelial cells.