title: Schistosoma mansoni antigens alter activation markers and cytokine profile in lymphocytes of patients with asthma.
abstract: Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by airway inflammation, obstruction and hyperresponsiveness. Severe asthma affects a small proportion of subjects but results in most of the morbidity, costs and mortality associated with the disease. Studies have suggested that Schistosoma mansoni infection reduces the severity of asthma and prevent atopy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the ability of S. mansoni antigens, Sm29 and Sm29TSP-2 to modulate lymphocyte activation status in response to the allergen of the mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p1) in cell cultures of individuals with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty four patients were enrolled in this study: seventeen patients with severe asthma (SA group), seventeen patients with mild asthma (MA group) and six controls with no asthma. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained and stimulated with Sm29 and Sm29TSP-2 in the presence or absence of Der p1. The expression of surface markers and cytokines on lymphocytes was evaluated by flow cytometry and the levels of IL-10 in the culture supernatant were determined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The addition of Sm29 and Sm29TSP-2 antigens to PBMC cultures from both groups of subjects with asthma stimulated with Der p1 reduced the frequency of CD4+CD25lowcells whereas and increased frequency of CD4+CD25highpopulation was observed compared to unstimulated cultures. Moreover, cultures stimulated with Sm29TSP-2 showed a reduction in the frequency of T cells expressing CD69, IFN-γ, TNF and TGF-β in the MA group and an increase in the frequency of CD4+TSLPR+T cells in the SA group. The addition of Sm29 to the cultures reduced the frequency of CD4+CD69+and CD4+IL-5+T cells in all asthmatic groups, and reduced the frequency of CD4+T cells expressing IL-13 in the MA group. The cultures stimulated with Sm29 and Sm29TSP-2 showed an increase in the level of IL-10 in the supernatants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the addition of Sm29 and Sm29TSP-2 to the cells cultures from subjects with asthma reduced cell activation markers and altered the cytokine production pattern in a way that can potentialy control the inflammatory response associated with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tarcísio Vila Verde Santana
authors.initials: TVVS
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jamille Souza
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Diego Mota
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lorena Santana
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT/CNPq), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerias, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérgio Costa
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT/CNPq), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, FIOCRUZ, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edgar M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT/CNPq), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Escola Baiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Ilma
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; ProAR-Núcleo de Excelência em Asma, UFBA, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Álvaro A
authors.initials: ÁA
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunologia, Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT/CNPq), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, UFBA, Brazil. Electronic address: lucianac@ufba.br.
authors.forename: Luciana Santos
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Cardoso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D016207:Cytokines; C508609:IL10 protein, human; D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016753:Interleukin-10
keywords: Asthma; Lymphocytes; Schistosoma mansoni antigens; Sm29; Sm29TSP-2