Table 2.

Cytokine response in lung homogenates, BALF, and plasma of wild-type (WT), Nlrp3^−/− and Asc^−/− mice during experimental melioidosis

	T = 24 h			T = 72 h
pg/mL	WT	Nlrp3−/−	Asc−/−	WT	Nlrp3−/−	Asc−/−
Lung
TNF-α	806 ± 109	645 ± 74	482 ± 76	1,276 ± 131	1,004 ± 157	814 ± 80
IL-6	841 ± 119	783 ± 105	743 ± 171	8,066 ± 2,164	5,735 ± 717	12,295 ±  ± 1,607
KC	13,083 ± 2,098	5,950 ± 823**	7,792 ± 1,870*	41,223 ± 9,319	53,639 ± 4,165	55,093 ± 4,907
IL-1β	1,660 ± 326	659 ± 56**	617 ± 12**	29,571 ± 3,549	2,083 ± 667***	760 ± 104***
BALF
TNF-α	1,102 ± 332	4,200 ± 774***	1,492 ± 273	6,518 ± 2,446	13,430 ± 2,456	13,908 ± 1,899
IL-6	340 ± 20	439 ± 49	458 ± 52	14,777 ± 4,636	6,265 ± 899	23,992 ± 6,707
KC	5,105 ± 677	1,999 ± 283**	2,958 ± 336*	36,591 ± 8,648	60,000 ± 598*	60,000 ± 598*
IL-1β	350 ± 45	280 ± 22	245 ± 13*	2,494 ± 413	1,727 ± 368	1,677 ± 115
MPO (ng/mL)	1,327 ± 397	3,293 ± 612	3,990 ± 1,000	6,757 ± 271	5,699 ± 524	5,217 ± 334**
Plasma
TNF-α	8 ± 1	13 ± 1**	6 ± 1*	1,402 ± 1,230	2,874 ± 1,556*	5,343 ± 1,763*
IL-6	196 ± 28	226 ± 28	91 ± 8***	5,773 ± 1,660	10,000 ± 267	9,734 ± 377
MCP-1	189 ± 21	145 ± 10	83 ± 13**	1,728 ± 677	4,550 ± 354**	2,600 ± 394
IFN-γ	23 ± 2	9 ± 1**	4 ± 1**	321 ± 173	3,051 ± 459***	2,301 ± 619**
IL-12p70	12 ± 2	16 ± 2	9 ± 2	7 ± 1	200 ± 25**	94 ± 25**
IL-10	ND	ND	ND	11 ± 3	7 ± 1	31 ± 10*
IL-1β	−	−	−	1133 ± 430	252 ± 48	150 ± 1*

Cytokine levels in lung homogenate, broncho-alveolar fluid (BALF), and plasma measured after intranasal infection with 5 × 10² CFU B pseudomallei. Wild-type (WT) and Nlrp3^−/− and Asc^−/− mice were sacrificed 24 or 72 h after infection. Data are represented as means ± SEM (n = 6–8/group).

IFN-γ indicates interferon-γ; IL, interleukin; KC, keratinocyte chemoattractant; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; MPO, myeloperoxidase; ND, not detectable; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.

^*P <0.05.

^**P <0.01.

^***P <0.001 compared with WT mice.