The cytokine/chemokine pattern in the bone marrow environment of multiple myeloma patients
Received 9 April 2010; received in revised form 10 June 2010; accepted 21 June 2010. published online 08 July 2010. Uncorrected Proof
Objective
The interaction of multiple myeloma (MM) with its bone marrow (BM) microenvironment is important for the homing pattern, survival, and proliferation of malignant plasma cells.
Materials and Methods
We determined the concentrations of 34 cytokines/chemokines in the supernatants of 10 myeloma cell lines, as well as in the plasma derived from BM and peripheral blood samples of 10 newly diagnosed MM patients, 20 MM patients who had received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), and 20 healthy donors.
Results
Besides cytokines/chemokines known to be secreted by myeloma cell lines, such as interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein−1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)−1α, MIP-1β, and MIP-3α, we also detected significant levels of epidermal growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), IL2R, IL-12p40/p70, IL-22, interferon-γ (IFN-γ)−inducible protein 10 (IP-10), monokine induced by IFN-γ, and regulated on activation normally T-cell expressed and secreted in culture supernatants. The BM environment in MM patients evidenced elevated concentrations of HGF, IL-2R, IL-16, epidermal growth factor, IL-1RA, IP-10, MCP-1, and monokine induced by IFN-γ. Additionally, in the BM of MM patients post alloSCT, we found selectively elevated concentration of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40/p70, and eotaxin. Eotaxin levels were particularly high in patients with chronic graft-vs-host disease.
Conclusion
Our study demonstrates characteristic cytokine/chemokine patterns in the BM environment of MM patients before and after alloSCT. Certain factors, such as MIP-1α, MCP-1, HGF, IL-16, IP-10, and eotaxin, might not only be developed into diagnostic instruments and/or predictive biomarkers, but are also potential targets for future myeloma- or graft-vs-host disease−specific therapies.
aDepartment of Internal Medicine II (Oncology/Hematology/Stem Cell Transplantation), University Cancer Center Hamburg (Hubertus Wald Tumorzentrum), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
bDepartment of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Offprint requests to: Yanran Cao, M.D., Center of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
ABSTRACT