HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

Published online before print May 22, 2003

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jlb.1202612v1 74/1/33    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dayyani, F. Articles by Ziegler-Heitbrock, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dayyani, F. Articles by Ziegler-Heitbrock, L.

(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2003;74:33-39.)
© 2003 by Society for Leukocyte Biology

Mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced depletion of human CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes

Farshid Dayyani^*,, Kai-Uwe Belge^*, Marion Frankenberger, Matthias Mack, Timea Berki^¶ and Loems Ziegler-Heitbrock^*,

^* Institute for Immunology and
Medizinische Poliklinik, University of Muenchen, Germany;
Clinical Cooperation Group Aerosols in Medicine, GSF-Institute for Inhalationbiology Neuherberg and Asklepios Fachklinik, Gauting, Germany;
^¶ Department of Immunology and Biotechnology, University of Pécs, Faculty of Medicine, Hungary; and
Division of Immunology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom

Correspondence: Professor Loems Ziegler-Heitbrock, Division of Immunology, University of Leicester, Medical Sciences Building, Leicester LE1 9HN, UK. E-mail: lzh1{at}le.ac.uk

Healthy donors infused with high doses of glucocorticoids [GCs; methyl-prednisolone (MP); 500 mg/day for 3 days] suffer a selective depletion of the CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes such that these cells are reduced by 95% on day 5. In vitro studies revealed that at 11 h of culture in the presence of 10^-5 M MP, no depletion was observed as yet, but a reduction by 80% was seen after 24 h. In dose-response analysis, MP still led to a 50% reduction of CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes at 10^-7 M. Depletion could not be overcome by addition of the cytokines interleukin-1ß or macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and it was independent of CD95. Depletion was, however, inhibited by the caspase 3,8 blocker z-Val-Ala-Asp, suggesting that cell death occurs in a caspase-dependent manner. Furthermore, blockade of depletion by RU-486 indicates that the intracellular GC receptor (GCR) is involved. Measurement of GCR by flow cytometry revealed a 50% higher level of expression in the CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes. Our studies show a selective depletion of CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes by GC treatment in vivo and in vitro, an effect to which the modestly increased level of GCR may contribute.

Key Words: glucocorticoids • monocyte • macrophage • apoptosis

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Ziegler-Heitbrock The CD14+ CD16+ blood monocytes: their role in infection and inflammation J. Leukoc. Biol., March 1, 2007; 81(3): 584 - 592. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C. Martin, I. A. Laing, S.-K. Khoo, G. Zhang, K. Rueter, L. Teoh, S. Taheri, C. M. Hayden, G. C. Geelhoed, J. Goldblatt, et al. Acute Asthma in Children: Relationships among CD14 and CC16 Genotypes, Plasma Levels, and Severity Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., March 15, 2006; 173(6): 617 - 622. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]