Mlk. Tang et al., INTERLEUKIN-4 AND INTERFERON-GAMMA PRODUCTION IN ATOPIC AND NONATOPICCHILDREN WITH ASTHMA, Clinical and experimental allergy, 25(6), 1995, pp. 515-521
Previous studies have demonstrated increased production of interleukin
-4 (IL-4) and reduced production of interferon (IFN)-gamma in stimulat
ed peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures from children and adults
with atopic dermatitis, however, it is unclear whether such an imbala
nce of cytokine production relates to other childhood atopic diseases
such as asthma, and in particular to the presence of the atopic state
per se. The production of IL-4 and IFN gamma in phytohaemagglutin- (PH
A)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from a
topic and non-atopic children with moderately severe chronic persisten
t asthma, and a group of age-matched non-atopic controls who did not h
ave asthma was examined. Atopic children with asthma produced signific
antly more IL-4 and less IFN gamma than non-atopic children with asthm
a and non-atopic controls who did not have asthma. There was no signif
icant difference in IL-4 or IFN gamma production between non-atopic ch
ildren with asthma and controls. These findings demonstrate that an im
balance of IL-4 and IFN-gamma production is present in atopic asthma a
s previously documented in atopic dermatitis, therefore suggesting tha
t it is a feature of the atopic state per se.