[Immunological mechanism of exfoliative tongue fur in children with asthma].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the immunological mechanism of exfoliative tongue fur in children with asthma.


METHODS
Thirty-nine children with asthma, twenty-eight children with repetitive respiratory tract infection (non-asthma) and eleven healthy children were divided into five groups, which were asthma with exfoliative fur or with non-exfoliative fur groups, non-asthma with exfoliative fur or with non-exfoliative fur groups and normal control group. The concentrations of keratin 13 and bcl-2 in cells exfoliated from tongue fur were detected by immunohistochemical method. The expression levels of blood cell chemokine receptor-3 (CCR-3) and CD4(+) were examined by flow cytometry, and the levels of serum cortisol and IgE were detected by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
The levels of blood CD4(+) and CCR-3 of children with asthma and exfoliative fur were higher than those in the asthma with non-exfoliative fur group and the normal control group (P<0.05). The serum level of cortisol in the groups of asthma with exfoliative fur and non-asthma with exfoliative fur were lower than that in the other groups (P<0.05). The serum levels of IgE in asthma with exfoliative fur or with non-exfoliative fur groups were higher than that in the other groups (P<0.05). Concentrations of keratin 13 in the cells exfoliated from tongue fur in the groups of asthma or non-asthma with exfoliative fur were lower than that of the other groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference of expression level of bcl-2 in the cells exfoliated from tongue fur among these five groups.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a reasonably close relationship between the formation of exfoliative tongue fur and the immune system such as low level of serum cortisol and high levels of blood CD4(+) and CCR-3, which may all promote the formation of exfoliative fur. The disability of keratinization and apoptosis of epithelial cells of tongue may also be one cause for its formation.
Li
Fu-Feng
FF
Laboratory of Syndromes of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. fufeng_lee@hotmail.com
Li
Guo-Gang
GG
Wu
You-Zhong
YZ
Li
Jing
J
Zhang
Xiao-Ying
XY
Wang
Hui-Fang
HF
Wang
Yi-Qin
YQ
D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005929:Glossitis, Benign Migratory / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D053535:Keratin-13; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D054397:Receptors, CCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000097:blood; D014059:Tongue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
C515350:CCR3 protein, human; D015704:CD4 Antigens; C507426:KRT13 protein, human; D053535:Keratin-13; D054397:Receptors, CCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; D007633:Keratins; D006854:Hydrocortisone