Cytokine profile in minor salivary glands from patients with bronchial asthma

Citation
A. Tsicopoulos et al., Cytokine profile in minor salivary glands from patients with bronchial asthma, J ALLERG CL, 106(4), 2000, pp. 687-696
Citations number
53
Categorie Soggetti
Clinical Immunolgy & Infectious Disease",Immunology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
ISSN journal
00916749 → ACNP
Volume
106
Issue
4
Year of publication
2000
Pages
687 - 696
Database
ISI
SICI code
0091-6749(200010)106:4<687:CPIMSG>2.0.ZU;2-A
Abstract
Background: T lymphocytes are important components of the bronchial inflamm atory cell infiltrate in asthma, Because lymphocytes activated in the respi ratory tract recirculate to remote glandular and mucosal sites, we previous ly studied the histologic features of minor salivary glands (MSGs) in bronc hial asthma and found an airway-like inflammation with T-lymphocyte infiltr ation, the presence of mast cells that were often degranulated, and basemen t membrane thickening but no eosinophil infiltration. Objective: We sought to investigate the cellular infiltration and cytokine profile in MSGs from untreated asthmatic subjects, steroid-treated asthmati c subjects, and control subjects and to compare these values with those fou nd in bronchial biopsy specimens. Methods: The cellular infiltration was studied by using immunohistochemistr y. Cytokine messenger (m)RNA expression for IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma was d etermined by using in situ hybridization and cytokine immunoreactivity with immunohistochemistry. Results: A significant increase in CD4 and IL-4 mRNA(+) cells was observed in MSGs from asthmatic patients (both untreated and steroid-treated subject s) when compared with control subjects, which correlated with the clinical severity of asthma (FEV1 and Aas score). In contrast to the bronchi, no IL- 5 mRNA expression was observed in MSGs, and no difference was observed for MSG IFN-gamma mRNA between the groups. At the level of MSG protein expressi on, the 3 cytokines were seen, with a significant increase in IL-4 protein expression in steroid-treated asthmatic subjects compared with untreated as thmatic subjects and control subjects, but there were no differences betwee n the groups in IL-5 and IFN-gamma protein expression. Conclusion: The cytokine mRNA expression pattern observed in the MSGs of as thmatic subjects was different from that found in the bronchi, suggesting a different local immune regulation.