title: Treatment of allergic asthma: modulation of Th2 cells and their responses.
abstract: Atopic asthma is a chronic inflammatory pulmonary disease characterised by recurrent episodes of wheezy, laboured breathing with an underlying Th2 cell-mediated inflammatory response in the airways. It is currently treated and, more or less, controlled depending on severity, with bronchodilators e.g. long-acting beta agonists and long-acting muscarinic antagonists or anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids (inhaled or oral), leukotriene modifiers, theophyline and anti-IgE therapy. Unfortunately, none of these treatments are curative and some asthmatic patients do not respond to intense anti-inflammatory therapies. Additionally, the use of long-term oral steroids has many undesired side effects. For this reason, novel and more effective drugs are needed. In this review, we focus on the CD4+ Th2 cells and their products as targets for the development of new drugs to add to the current armamentarium as adjuncts or as potential stand-alone treatments for allergic asthma. We argue that in early disease, the reduction or elimination of allergen-specific Th2 cells will reduce the consequences of repeated allergic inflammatory responses such as lung remodelling without causing generalised immunosuppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, DIAID, Experimental Allergy Laboratory, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Berislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bosnjak
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stelzmueller
authors.forename: Klaus J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Erb
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents