Interleukin-1 secretion by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated alveolar macrophages. Relationships to cell numbers--influence of smoking habits.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) release by alveolar macrophages (AMs) from 29 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma, lung metastases, acute pneumonitis, and chronic infection was evaluated in response to a standard stimulus, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results were compared to those of AMs from normal smokers or nonsmokers (volunteers). AMs derived from healthy smokers secreted significantly more IL-1 than AMs from nonsmokers. In contrast, AMs from smokers affected with primary lung cancer have lost their capacity of secreting high levels of IL-1, whereas IL-1 secretion was high in nonsmokers with hematogenous metastases. AMs release high IL-1 levels in patients with acute bacterial infections. A significant correlation exists between numbers of AMs and IL-1 levels in normal individuals, a relationship which disappears in patients. These observations suggest that AMs in inflammatory lung disease, even discrete, have an increased capacity to secrete IL-1 on stimulation with LPS. They also suggest that an intrinsic dysfunction of AMs may accompany primary bronchogenic carcinoma. The influence of tobacco in modifying the functions of AMs is stressed.