title: Analysis of a Panel of 48 Cytokines in BAL Fluids Specifically Identifies IL-8 Levels as the Only Cytokine that Distinguishes Controlled Asthma from Uncontrolled Asthma, and Correlates Inversely with FEV1.
abstract: We sought to identify cells and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids that distinguish asthma from healthy control subjects and those that distinguish controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma. Following informed consent, 36 human subjects were recruited for this study. These included 11 healthy control subjects, 15 subjects with controlled asthma with FEV1≥80% predicted and 10 subjects with uncontrolled asthma with FEV1 <80% predicted. BAL fluid was obtained from all subjects. The numbers of different cell types and the levels of 48 cytokines were measured in these fluids. Compared to healthy control subjects, patients with asthma had significantly more percentages of eosinophils and neutrophils, IL-1RA, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2Rα, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, G-CSF, GROα (CXCL1), MIP-1β (CCL4), MIG (CXCL9), RANTES (CCL5) and TRAIL in their BAL fluids. The only inflammatory markers that distinguished controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma were neutrophil percentage and IL-8 levels, and both were inversely correlated with FEV1. We examined whether grouping asthma subjects on the basis of BAL eosinophil % or neutrophil % could identify specific cytokine profiles. The only differences between neutrophil-normal asthma (neutrophil≤2.4%) and neutrophil-high asthma (neutrophils%>2.4%) were a higher BAL fluid IL-8 levels, and a lower FEV1 in the latter group. By contrast, compared to eosinophil-normal asthma (eosinophils≤0.3%), eosinophil-high asthma (eosinophils>0.3%) had higher levels of IL-5, IL-13, IL-16, and PDGF-bb, but same neutrophil percentage, IL-8, and FEV1. Our results identify neutrophils and IL-8 are the only inflammatory components in BAL fluids that distinguish controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma, and both correlate inversely with FEV1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Koa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosoki
authors.affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy & Lung Biolog and MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King's College London, London, SE1, 9RT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy & Lung Biolog and MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King's College London, London, SE1, 9RT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corrigan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Huibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurosky
authors.affiliation: Office of Biostatistics, Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kristofer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Boldogh
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sanjiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D015848:Interleukin-5; D016209:Interleukin-8