Long-term analysis of allergen-specific T cell clones from patients with asthma treated with allergen rush immunotherapy.
Rush immunotherapy (RI), a modified allergen-specific immunotherapeutic procedure, is an effective treatment for extrinsic (atopic) asthma, although the precise mechanism of its action is unclear. We have thus investigated the effect of RI on T cell response in seven mite-allergen-sensitive asthmatic patients who were successfully treated with RI. The proliferative response to mite allergen profoundly decreased after 3 months of therapy compared to the response before therapy; the response, however, recovered 18 months after RI. Regarding cytokine production patterns of mite-specific T cells, RI brought about a shift in cytokine profiles from Th2 to Th0 or Th1 in mite-specific T cell clones. The data indicate that the efficacy of RI is due to modification of T cell responses to mite antigens. Allergen RI results in the conversion of Th2 to Th1 and Th0 cells and/or selection of Th1 and Th0 cells over Th2 cells and thus may improve both clinical symptoms and airway inflammation in asthmatics.
Oda
N
N
First Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan.
Yamashita
N
N
Minoguchi
K
K
Takeno
M
M
Kaneko
S
S
Sakane
T
T
Adachi
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
D000485:Allergens; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D006023:Glycoproteins; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma