[Effects of arsenic trioxide on apoptosis of peripheral T-lymphocytes from asthmatic patients and normal subjects in vitro].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of arsenic trioxide on apoptosis of peripheral T-lymphocytes from asthmatic patients and normal subjects in vitro.


METHODS
The T-lymphocytes were isolated from the blood of 21 asthmatic patients and 20 healthy controls and treated with arsenic trioxide and dexamethasone. Cell apoptosis was observed by fluorescence microscope and measured with flow cytometry and Cytochrome C ELISA kit.


RESULTS
The T-lymphocytes from the asthmatic patients, when compared to those from of the healthy control, exhibited decelerated spontaneous apoptosis after a 24-hour incubation in vitro. Dexamethasone treatment significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic T-lymphocytes from both asthmatic patients and normal subjects in comparable magnitude. Arsenic trioxide treatment, in contrast, significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic T-lymphocytes from asthmatic patients, but slightly affected the cells from the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Spontaneous apoptosis of T-lymphocytes can be decelerated in asthmatic patients, whose T-lymphocytes are more sensitive to arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis than those of normal subjects, but the T-lymphocytes from normal subjects and asthmatic patients are equally sensitive to dexamethasone.
Qin
Dong-yun
DY
Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang 524023, China. qindongyun@gdmc.edu.cn
Wu
Tie
T
Liu
Jun-lin
JL
Liang
Biao
B
D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D001152:Arsenicals; D010087:Oxides; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide