Differences in responses of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor α production and secretion to cyclosporin-A and ultraviolet B-irradiation by normal and transformed keratinocyte cultures

Abstract Among epidermal cytokines, IL-1 and TNFα are involved in inflammatory skin reactions and suspected of modulation by immuno-suppressive treatment (e.g., cyclosporin A, CsA) or UVB-irradiation, 2 mediators probably being involved in epithelial carcinogenesis. We evaluated the effects of 8 μg/ml CsA and 100 J/m² UVB-irradiation on the production and secretion of IL-1 and TNFα on normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHK) and epidermal keratinocyte cell lines either spontaneously transformed (HaCaT) or transformed by human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 or 18 (EK I6 and EK 18), by using FLISA test. Normal and immortalized keratinocytes constitutively produced and released IL-lα IL-lβ and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-IRA) but IL-I synthesis by NHK was significantly higher than by cell lines. All the cells spontaneously excreted low amounts of TNFα. Different responses to treatments were evidenced between NHK and cell lines. CsA modified significantly the production and secretion of ILI in most cells whereas slight changes were observed with TNFα secretion. UVB irradiation had no effect on the intracellular ILI pool of any cells but increased the release of IL1 and TNFα. The association CsA-UVB did not result in additive effects on synthesis and secretion of IL1; the release of TNFα by the cells remained poor except for EK18 cells. Taken together, these results show that, in immortalized keratinocytes, the IL-1 and TNFα expression was differently affected by treatments wilh CsA and/or UVB-irradiation as compared to NHK. In addition, spontaneously transformed keratinocytcs. HaCaT, reacted differently from HPV-transformed keratinocyles, EK I6 and EK I8.