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Lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptors in asthmatic and control subjects
Author(s) -
TSAI B. S.,
WATT G.,
KOESNADI K.,
TOWNLEY R. G.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1984.tb02217.x
Subject(s) - glucocorticoid , glucocorticoid receptor , dexamethasone , receptor , endocrinology , medicine , lymphocyte , hormone , steroid hormone , asthma , biology
Summary Glucocorticoid hormones, which are widely used in the treatment of asthma, have been shown to potentiate physiological and biochemical beta‐adrenergic responsiveness in asthmatics. These effects are presumably mediated through glucocorticoid receptors. In order to better understand glucocorticoid pharmacology in asthmatics, we assayed glucocorticoid receptors by directly binding a radioactively labelled glucocorticoid hormone, dexamethasone, to intact lymphocytes prepared from the peripheral blood of asthmatics and control subjects. Binding studies were performed with dexamethasone at 100 n m and 5 n m concentrations. At 100 n m dexamethasone, the mean number of lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptors (per cell) in control subjects (7191 ± 385. n = 9) was not significantly different from that in asthmatic subjects (7772 ± 437, n = 9). At 5 n m dexamethasone, the mean number of glucocorticoid receptors in control subjects (1177 ± 194, n = 5) was not significantly different from that in asthmatic subjects (1215 ± 108. n = 8). At 100 n m dexamethasone, males had significantly more receptors (7939 ± 360. n = 11) than females (6764 ± 72, n = 7). Our results suggest that the number of lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptors and the apparent affinity of dexamethasone for receptors are not related to the presence or severity of asthma; however, a significant sex effect exists which should be corrected for in future studies of lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptors.