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Cytokine production in children outgrowing hen egg allergy
Author(s) -
NOMA T.,
YOSHIZAWA IZUMI,
AOKI K.,
YAMAGUCHI K.,
BABA M.
Publication year - 1996
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.1365-2222.1996.tb00527.x
Subject(s) - ovalbumin , immunology , allergy , interleukin 4 , cytokine , egg allergy , population , atopic dermatitis , medicine , antigen , stimulation , interferon gamma , interleukin 13 , endocrinology , food allergy , environmental health
Summary Background Approximately 40 to 80% of egg‐allergic children outgrow egg allergy after 2 to 5 years. Objective and methods To detail the immunologic mechanisms involved in the development of tolerance to egg proteins, the bahince between interleukin 4 (IL4) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) synthesis in patients with active atopic dermatitis allergic to hen egg and in those outgrowing hen egg allergy was evaluated. Results A marked increase in IL4 and a decrease in IFN‐γ synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes following ovalbumin (OVA) specific in vitro stimulation was observed in active atopic dermatitis. In contrast, OVA‐induced IL4 synthesis in patients in remission was comparable to that in normal individuals. An intriguing finding was higher production of IFN‐γ by lymphocytes from ovalbumin‐inscnsitive patients in remission as compared to normal individuals following antigen stimulation. although cell proliferation in OVA‐stimulated lymphocytes was reduced in patients during remission. Conclusion OVA antigen may be capable of inducing a population of Thl‐type cells to produce cytokines such as IFN‐γ, resulting in suppression of Th2‐type responses, i.e. IL4 secretion. We speculate that the changes in the balance of relevant antigen‐induced cytokine synthesis seen in such patients may be causally associated with the improvement in their clinical status.