FREQUENCY OF ALLERGEN-SPECIFIC T-LYMPHOCYTES IN BLOOD AND BRONCHIAL RESPONSE TO ALLERGEN IN ASTHMA

JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY

卷:91

Article

BURASTERO, SE ; FENOGLIO, D ; CRIMI, E ; BRUSASCO, V ; ROSSI, GA

关键词: AIRWAY RESPONSIVENESS;    METHACHOLINE CHALLENGE;    ALLERGEN CHALLENGE;    HOUSE-DUST MITE;    T-LYMPHOCYTES;   

DOI  :  10.1016/0091-6749(93)90222-2

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Background: This study was designed to investigate whether the bronchial response to the sensitizing allergen in asthma is correlated with the frequency of allergen-specific T lymphocytes. Methods: Twenty-three asthmatic patients sensitized to Dermatophagoides pteryonyssinus who had never received hyposensitizing therapy and 11 healthy control subjects were studied. Allergen-specific T lymphocytes were enumerated in peripheral blood with limiting dilution cultures. Bronchial challenge with methacholine was performed in all subjects; patients with asthma also underwent an allergen bronchial challenge. Correlations between allergen-specific T cell frequencies and nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine as independent variables and early and late bronchial responsiveness to allergen challenge as dependent variables were investigated by means of stepwise-multiple regression analysis. Results: We found that the frequency of allergen-specific T lymphocytes was higher than in control subjects in both patients with asthma with (p < 0.001) and those without (p < 0.05) late-phase asthmatic response to allergen. Moreover, the provocative does of allergen necessary to produce an early 15% fall of forced expiratory volume in 1 second could be predicted in part (59%) by an equation that incorporates methacholine sensitivity and allergen-specific T cell frequency. Conclusions: We conclude that allergen-specific T lymphocytes, which have an established influence on immunoglobulin E production, play an additional role in the induction of the bronchospastic response to inhaled allergen.

【 授权许可】

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