To determine the proinflammatory and allergenic potential of T. pruni-spinosae and P. rubi-idaei in the context of airway cells, we used two cell models acceptable in such studies: human normal bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B)32 and human lung carcinoma epithelial cells (A549).32–34 While the P. rubi-idaei extract was an inducer of IL-1β and GM-CSF only in the bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B line), T. pruni-spinosae induced these cytokines in both A549 and BEAS-2B cell lines, especially at the higher extract concentrations. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and lung carcinoma.