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.
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.
Authors: T C Van der Pouw Kraan; J S Van der Zee; L C Boeije; E R De Groot; S O Stapel; L A Aarden Journal: Clin Exp Immunol Date: 1998-01 Impact factor: 4.330
Authors: A C Rimaniol; G Garcia; S J Till; F Capel; G Gras; K Balabanian; D Emilie; M Humbert Journal: Clin Exp Immunol Date: 2003-04 Impact factor: 4.330