title: Number of beta-receptors in rhinitic pollinic patients.
abstract: The study was carried out on venous blood from 67 patients with seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis caused by sensitization to grass pollen and 30 control individuals. Total IgE determination, antigen-specific histamine release test against two concentrations of Phleum pratense, and quantification of beta 2-adrenergic receptor numbers in lymphocyte membrane of peripheral blood were done on all patients. Those pollinic patients who were asymptomatic at the time of the study had 500.07 +/- 237.27 receptors/cell; no significant differences were established with the control group, with 541.53 +/- 123.63 receptors/cell. However, both the control group and asymptomatic patients had receptor numbers which were significantly higher than those of symptomatic pollinic patients, with 376.81 +/- 158.65 receptors/cell (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). The average decrease in number of receptors in symptomatic pollinic patients was 30.42% in relation to controls and 24.65% in relation to asymptomatic patients. Within the subgroup of pollinic patients, studied both in and out of season, the number of beta 2-adrenergic receptors had an average decrease of 13.22% during pollination, with 363.7 receptors/cell. Once the pollination season was over, this figure increased to 419.1 receptors/cell, establishing significant differences with p < 0.025. The number of beta 2-adrenergic receptors did not correlate with total seric IgE figures or with antigen-specific histamine release. These data indicate that the decrease of these receptors does not constitute the causal factor of atopic diseases; it seems more likely to be a consequence of the same.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Alergología e Inmunología Clínica, Clínica Universitaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Gamboa
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: de la Cuesta
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oehling
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006636:Histamine Release; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D007073:Immunoglobulin E