title: Sputum IgE and cytokines in asthma: relationship with sputum cellular profile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Local IgE production may play a role in asthma pathogenesis. The aim of the study was to assess sputum total IgE and cytokines in asthmatics according to sputum cellular phenotype.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 122 subjects including 22 non atopic healthy subjects, 41 eosinophilic (sputum eosinophils ≥3%), 16 neutrophilic (sputum neutrophils >76%) and 43 pauci-granulocytic asthmatics (sputum eosinophils <3% and sputum neutrophils ≤76%) recruited from the asthma clinic at CHU Liege. Sputum supernatant total IgE (tIgE) was measured by ImmunoCAP and sputum supernatant cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-γ and TNF-α) were measured with the Luminex xMAP Technology by using commercially available Fluorokine MAP kits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After concentrating sputum samples, total IgE was detectable in the majority of subjects. Sputum IgE was raised in asthmatics when compared to healthy subjects. Overall, asthmatics did not significantly differ from healthy subjects with respect to cytokine levels. The eosinophilic asthma phenotype, however, was characterised by raised sputum tIgE, IL-5 and IL-13 compared to healthy subjects (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.05 respectively) and pauci-granulocytic asthma (p<0.01, p<0.001 and p<0.05 respectively) and raised IL-5 compared to neutrophilic asthma (p<0.01). When patients were classified according to sputum IgE levels, it appeared that IL-5, IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α sputum supernatant levels were raised in the "IgE high" asthmatics (IgE ≥0.1 kU/l) when compared to "IgE low" asthmatics (IgE<0.1 kU/l).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The eosinophilic asthma phenotype was associated with raised sputum IgE and a Th2 cytokine profile. Raised sputum IgE was associated with a heterogeneous cytokine overproduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, GIGA I3Research Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, Liege, Belgium. mmanise@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Maïté
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manise
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holtappels
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Crombruggen
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schleich
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bachert
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Louis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
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