Authors: Van Bever,¹; Vereecke²; Bridts²; De Clerck,²; Stevens²

Source: Clinical & Experimental Allergy, Volume 28, Number 8, August 1998 , pp. 943-949(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Background

The underlying mechanisms of immunotherapy (IT) are still unknown but may be related to modifications of cytokine production of T lymphocytes. Objective

In this study we determined the in vitro allergen-induced production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-12 and IFNγ of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of eight young asthmatics, aged 15 ± 2 years, receiving IT (IT group) and of eight comparable asthmatics, aged 13 ± 3.5 years, who never received IT (non-IT group). Methods

All patients suffered from perennial asthma and were allergic to house dust mite (HDM). They were selected if they showed a positive stimulation index (SI) of PBMC after in vitro incubation with HDM (i.e. SI > 2). Cells were incubated with and without HDM (10 μg/mL) during 24 h, 48 h and 7 days. Cytokines were determined in the supernatant at the three time points and are expressed as median values in pg/mL. Results

In the IT group the secretion of IL-2 was lower compared with the non-IT group after 7 days incubation of PBMC with HDM (0 vs 33.2, P = 0.008). In both groups maximal secretion of IL-2 was observed after 48 h. In the non-IT group a high value of IL-2 persisted after 7 days, whereas in the IT group a significant decline of IL-2 occurred after 7 days. Although IL-4 secretion was low in all subjects, more patients of the non-IT group showed detectable IL-4 in the HDM cultures after 24 h and 48 h, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.08 and P = 0.28, respectively). Furthermore, IL-4 secretion was lower in the HDM cultures after 24 h in the IT group (1.75 vs 4.1, P = 0.011) and 48 h (2.2 vs 4.1, P = 0.035). IL-5 secretion was lower in the HDM cultures after 24 h (12.4 vs 47.6, P = 0.035) and 48 h (26.8 vs 135, P = 0.046) in the IT group than in the non-IT group. After 7 days of incubation with HDM there was no difference between the groups. There was no difference between both groups in secretion of IFNγ and IL-12. Conclusions

These results show a difference in vitro cytokine secretion of PBMC of asthmatics receiving IT compared with asthmatics who never received IT. PBMC of patients receiving IT secrete less IL-2 and IL-5 after in vitro incubation with HDM and show a tendency to secrete less IL-4. The efficacy of IT may be attributed to a modified cytokine secretion of PBMC.

Keywords: asthma; immunotherapy; cytokines; IL-2; IL-4; IL-5; IL-12; IFNγ

Document Type: Original article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2222.1998.00324.x

Affiliations: 1: Departments of Paediatrics, 2: Immunology, Allergology and Rheumatology, University of Antwerp (UIA), Belgium

Publication date: 1998-08-01

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