OBJECTIVE: The present study assessed the influence of neonatal malnutrition on the production of interferon gamma, interleukin-12 and interleukin-10 in cultured macrophages and lymphocytes infected in vitro with methicillin-sensitive or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were suckled by mothers fed during lactation a chow containing 17% protein for the nourished group and 8% for the undernourished group. After weaning, both groups received a normal diet in terms of protein content. The macrophages were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage after tracheostomy. Cardiac puncture was used for the collection of lymphocytes. After isolation of different cell types, the challenge with the different strains was performed. Cytokines were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using samples collected from the culture supernatant after an incubation period of 24 hours. RESULTS: Malnutrition let to slow weight gain, low interferon gamma in cultured alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes and low production of interleukin-12 in cultured alveolar macrophages. Only interferon gamma and interleukin-10 in cultured alveolar macrophages differed between the two groups and study strains. CONCLUSION: The neonatal malnutrition model used impaired weight gain and reduced production of proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-12 and interferon gamma), indicating that protein malnutrition may result in an inability to fight infections. The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain stimulated macrophages to produce interferon gamma and interleukin-10, suggesting that this strain better provokes the immune system, specifically for this cell type.
Cytokines; Malnutrition; Lymphocytes; Macrophages; Methicillin; Staphylococcus aureus
