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Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with both antiin-flammatory and immunosuppressive properties. In the present study, we have examined the effects of recombinant human IL-10 (rHuIL-10) on the development of acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) in unirradiated (C57B1/6J×A/J) F1 recipients of parental A/J lymphocytes. rHuIL-10 (2.5 to 100 μg/mouse administered subcutaneously) caused a significant reduction in splenomegaly in GVH mice. GVH splenocytes exhibited an augmented capacity to produce IFN-γ when stimulated in culture with Con A or LPS. The IFNγ produced in response to LPS stimulation was found to be derived from CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with little or no contribution from the NK1.1+ subpopulation of the GVH spleen. Treatment with IL-10 in vivo was found to diminish the capacity of splenocytes to produce IFNγ when stimulated with LPS but not with Con A. IL-10 did not protect GVH mice from a lethal dose of LPS but caused a marked reduction in the serum TNFα response triggered by the LPS challenge. We conclude that IL-10 may be useful in controlling those clinical manifestations of acute GVHD that arise as a result of the activities of proinflammatory cytokines such as IFNγ and TNFα.
Smith et al. (Wed,) studied this question.