Expression of interleukin-27 (IL-27) in the lower airways diseases. Increased levels of IL-27 in early clinical stages of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Interleukin 27 (IL‑27) is a cytokine secreted mostly by antigen‑presenting cells. It is important for the immune polarization of T helper‑1 (Th1) cells, and its role in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and lung cancer has been investigated. OBJECTIVES We assessed IL‑27 expression in the lower airways of patients with selected ILDs and early‑stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS IL‑27 concentrations were examined by an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid supernatants collected from patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS; n = 30), extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA; n = 14), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF; n = 12), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP; n = 14), and NSCLC stages I to IIa (n = 16) with peripheral localization, and in controls (n = 14). The major lymphocyte subsets in BAL fluid were phenotyped, and intracellular IL‑27 expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS IL‑27 concentrations in BAL fluid supernatants were significantly increased in Th1‑mediated conditions such as EAA and PS, but not in IPF or NSIP. The highest IL‑27 levels (median [SEM], 16.9 [17.5] pg/ml) were reported for NCSLC, and the lowest-for controls (median [SEM], 0.4 [0.2] pg/ml). IL‑27 was undetectable in corticosteroid‑treated patients with PS. Both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes were positive for IL‑27; they were a possible local source of IL‑27 because the cytokine levels were positivelysignificantly correlated with the total number of lymphocytes, including CD4+ cells. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the Th1‑linked activity of IL‑27in ILDs. Early‑stageNSCLC is characterizedby high IL‑27expression in the lower airways. IL‑27 is produced by a high percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in BAL fluid, both in patients and controls.

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid assessment facilitates precision medicine for lung cancer

“…NSCLC patients with higher sRANKL 52 or BCA-1 53 levels in BALF were associated with poorer survival. Another study also demonstrated a significant rise in the level of IL-27 expression in the BALF of early NSCLC patients 56 . Researchers have only demonstrated relevant evidence for the above indicators but have not conducted in-depth studies, which is insufficient for clinical practice.…”

Evaluation of cytokines in the tumor microenvironment of lung cancer using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis

“…Although BAL drains a relatively large area surrounding a lung tumor and, therefore, the diagnostic yield is hypothetically not dependent on a bronchus leading to it, the diagnostic usefulness of BAL is unacceptably low with a reported sensitivity for the diagnosis of lung cancer of 29% when only cytological analyses are considered [13]. However, with the upcoming interest in ICIs, BAL gained new attention as a tool to access TME surrounding a lung cancer [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. With our study, we aimed to investigate TME of lung cancer by analyzing various cytokines in BALF and thus answering three questions:…”

Transcriptomic analysis identifies a pan-cancer association of IL27 expression with cancer prognosis and immune microenvironment

“…Therefore, the expression profile of IL gene may also be one of the vital markers of early pathological changes, occurrence and progression of cancer. 4 , 5 Currently, studies on the expression of IL27 in cancer are still extremely limited. Our work comprehensively and systematically studied the IL27 gene expression in the generic cancer when compared with the existing IL27 gene related research experiment.…”