1.Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Jinhua City, Zhejiang 318300, China; 2.Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taizhou First People’s Hospital, Taizhou 318020, China; 3.Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wengzhou Medical University, Wengzhou 325035, China
Abstract:Th22 cells are a novel class of leukocytes characterized by the secretion of both IL-22 and TNF-α. Th22 cells have little or no direct impact on other immune cells, but exert selective effects on epithelia. It is not known, however, whether Th22 cells play a role in genital mucosal immunity. Here, we demonstrate that IL-22 and TNF-α synergistically induce several immunomodulatory molecules, such as the antimicrobial peptide mBD-2 (murine β-defensin 2) and the antimicrobial chemokines CXCL-9, -10, and -11 in primary murine oviduct epithelial cells (MOECs). The induction of innate immunity is relevant in an in vitro infection model, in which MOECs stimulated with Th22 cell supernatants effectively inhibit the growth of Chlamydia trichomatis and maintain the survival of the epithelia compared with untreated control. In summary, we demonstrate that the Th22 cell cytokines IL-22 and TNF-α play important roles in genital tract infection. The potential for Th22 cell cytokines to modulate innate immune mediators may lead to the development of new topical agents to treat and/or prevent immune-mediated STDs.
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