Study on mechanisms of outgrow in bronchial asthma

为了探讨支气管哮喘的生长机制，我们研究了(1)利用流式细胞术检测哮喘活动性患者和哮喘脱产患者的屋尘螨过敏原刺激T细胞的细胞因子产生，(2)在过敏原特异性免疫治疗前后，用外周血单个核细胞建立屋尘螨特异性T细胞株的细胞因子产生。流式细胞术分析发现，尘螨过敏原刺激下活动性哮喘患者外周血CD4_+ T淋巴细胞产生的白细胞介素4 （IL-4）和IL-5明显高于成年哮喘患者。免疫治疗前建立的屋尘螨特异性T细胞系产生的IL-4和IL-5的数量比免疫治疗后从同一患者建立的T细胞系多。这些结果表明，屋尘螨反应性T细胞中Th2细胞因子如IL-4和IL-5的减少可能与自发性和治疗性支气管哮喘的生长有关。

In order to investigate the mechanisms of outgrow of bronchial asthma, we studied (1) cytokine production of house dust mite allergen-stimulated T cells either in patients with active asthma or in patients who outgrew from asthma by newly developed system for detection of intracellularly produced cytokine by use of flow cytometry, (2) cytokine production of house dust mite-specific T cell lines established from peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after allergen-specific immunotherapy. Flow cytometrical analysis revealed that peripheral CD4_+ T lymphocytes in active asthma patients stimulated with house dust mite allergen produced much higher amounts of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-5 than those in outgrown patients. House dust mite-specific T cell lines established before immunotherapy produced greater amounts of IL-4 and IL-5 than those established from the same patients after immunotherapy. These results indicate that reduction of Th2 cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-5 from house dust mite-reactive T cells may be related to outgrow of bronchial asthma both in spontaneous and therapy-based outgrow.