Determination of the Proinflammatory Potential of Spores from Different Basidiomycetes Species with a Human Whole Blood Assay. (55.13)

Airborne fungal spores could pose a proinflammatory risk when inhaled by susceptible individuals. Most studies have examined fungal spores from mitosporic fungi (e.g. Aspergillus sp, Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp.). Less is known about the proinflammatory potential of spores from basidiomycetes (meiotic fungi). In this study, we evaluated the proinflammatory potential of spores (basidiospores) from three species of basidiomycetes (Chlorophyllum molybdites, Pluteus cervinus, and Coprinus micaceus) in a human whole blood (HWB) system. This system provides the flexibility to evaluate the proinflammatory potential of a given sample based on the release of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1β) by leukocytes. Different concentrations (100 ug, 10 ug, 1.0 ug) of spore deposits from each basidiomycete were incubated (18 hrs) with human whole blood from healthy subjects, and the release of IL-1β determined with ELISA. HWB was also incubated with endotoxin as a positive control. Similar to endotoxin, the basidiospores induced the release of IL-1β in a dose-dependent manner. In most cases, there were no significant differences between the response of endotoxin and that of the basidiospores. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the proinflammatory potential of basidiospores in a HWB system. Our results suggest that basidiospores could pose a proinflammatory inhalation risk comparable to that of endotoxin in subjects with respiratory diseases.