Cotton bract tannin: a novel human T-lymphocyte mitogen and a possible causative agent of byssinosis

Cotton bract tannin, a major organic component of cotton dust, was tested for mitogenic activity upon human T lymphocytes. Tannin caused polyclonal activation of human T lymphocytes in vitro. The pattern of T-cell response to tannin was similar to the pattern seen in lymphocytes stimulated with the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational archives of allergy and applied immunology Vol. 87; no. 1; p. 14
Main Authors Vuk-Pavlović, Z, Russell, J A, Rohrbach, M S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland 1988
Subjects
Antigen-Presenting Cells - physiology
Byssinosis - etiology
Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
Dust
Gossypium - immunology
Humans
In Vitro Techniques
Lectins
Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology
Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects
Monocytes - immunology
Plant Lectins
T-Lymphocytes - drug effects
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
Tannins - pharmacology
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Summary:Cotton bract tannin, a major organic component of cotton dust, was tested for mitogenic activity upon human T lymphocytes. Tannin caused polyclonal activation of human T lymphocytes in vitro. The pattern of T-cell response to tannin was similar to the pattern seen in lymphocytes stimulated with the well-known plant lectin T-cell mitogens, PHA and ConA. The response to tannin was shown to be dependent upon tannin dose and presence of monocytes. The maximum response occurred after 3-4 days in culture with the magnitude comparable to the one achieved by ConA. Lipopolysaccharide from Enterobacter agglomerans, a major contaminant of cotton dust, was shown not to be a mediator of tannin mitogenicity in vitro. A role for tannin as a polyclonal cell activator and, therefore, a possible etiologic agent of byssinosis is suggested by these observations.
ISSN:0020-5915