TH1 and TH2 cytokine production among asthmatic children after immunotherapy.
Allergen immunotherapy results in a number of changes in clinical and immunological parameters. To study the kinetic influence of immunotherapy on cytokine production, we evaluated the ratios of Th1/Th2 for patients receiving mite-extract immunotherapy with 3-month intervals. Changes in Th1/Th2 ratio were calculated based on the intracellular cytokine and surface CD4 staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). No significantly different Th1/Th2 ratios were detected after immunotherapy, although ratios were lower for asthmatic children when compared with normal controls. Cytokine production was also determined on supernatants from mite- or mitogen-activated PBMC cells. A significantly increased production of all cytokines was detected from activated PBMC from patients after immunotherapy. Thus hyposensitization with mite extract for 1 year might improve the cytokine production capacity of asthma patients' PBMC.
Huang
Jing-Long
JL
Division of Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital and Chang Gung University, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chen
Li-Chen
LC
Yeh
Kno-Wei
KW
Lin
Syh-Jae
SJ
Hsieh
Kue-Hsiung
KH
Kuo
Ming-Ling
ML
D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D000485:Allergens; D016207:Cytokines