title: Effects of systemic glucocorticosteroids on peripheral neutrophil functions in asthmatic subjects: an ex vivo study.
abstract: In 21 asthmatic subjects, several functions of isolated peripheral neutrophils (chemokinesis and chemotaxis toward 10% E. coli; superoxide anion generation after PMA; leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) release from whole blood and isolated neutrophtls, before and after different stimuli) were evaluated during an acute exacerbation of asthma, and after 14 - 54 days of treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids (GCS). During acute exacerbation, superoxide anion generation was higher in asthmatics than in eleven normal subjects (39.2 +/- 14.1 vs. 25.2 +/- 7.3 nmol, p < 0.05); there was a significant correlation between FEV(1) (% of predicted) and neutrophil chemotaxis (r = -0.52, p = 0.04). After treatment, there was no significant change in all neutrophil functions, except for a decrease in neutrophil chemotaxis in subjects who showed an FEV(1) increase > 20% after GCS treatment (from 131 +/- 18 to 117 +/- 21 mum, p = 0.005). Chemokinesis sicantly decreased in all subjects, and the changes significantly correlated with an arbitrary score of the total administered dose of GCS (r = 0.57, p < 0.05). These data suggest that neutrophil activation plays a minor role in asthma, and that treatment with GCS is not able to modify most functions of peripheral neutrophils in asthmatic subjects; chemotaxis seems to be related only to the severity of the asthma and it could reflect the improvement of the disease.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Institute of Internal Medicine Respiratory Pathophysiology, and CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology Pisa Italy.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Paggiaro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bancalari
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giannessi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bernini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lazzerini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sicari
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bacci
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Dente
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vagaggini
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Caterina