title: Expression of toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in subjects with asthma by total serum IgE level.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emerging data suggest that innate immunity may play a role in asthma, particularly the toll-like receptors (TLRs). Some studies pointed to an involvement of TLRs 2 and 4 in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma, and other studies related TLRs to IgE. However, there are not any studies that have comprehensively evaluated the expression of TLRs 2 and 4 in inflammatory cells, in peripheral blood and induced sputum specimens from asthmatic patients, according to their total serum IgE.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 44 asthmatic patients (15 with high total serum IgE and 29 with normal total serum IgE). On a single visit, all patients underwent: induced sputum, pulmonary function tests, determination of exhaled nitric oxide fraction, venipuncture for blood analysis and skin prick allergy tests. The induced sputum cellularity was analyzed by flow cytometry, where expression of TLRs 2 and 4 was studied using fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Asthmatic patients with high total serum IgE showed, a higher percentage of macrophages expressing TLR4 (42.99 % ± 22.49) versus asthmatic patients with normal total serum IgE (28.84 % ± 15.16) (P = 0.048). Furthermore, we observed a correlation (but weak) between the percentage of macrophages expressing TLR4 in induced sputum and the total serum IgE level (R = 0.314; P = 0.040).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthmatic subjects with high total serum IgE show increased macrophage expression of TLR4 in induced sputum. This outcome may result from a link between innate immunity and IgE-mediated, adaptive immune responses in asthma, and point to TLR4 as a potential therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain. acrespo@santpau.cat.|Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. acrespo@santpau.cat.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crespo-Lessmann
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.|Immunology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Eder
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramos-Barbón
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrejón
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giner
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cándido
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Juárez
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau & Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain.|Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plaza
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism*; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000097:blood*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C495342:TLR2 protein, human; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Asthma; IgE; Innate immunity; Toll-like receptors