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Induced apoptosis of TH 2 lymphocytes in asthmatic children treated with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus immunotherapy
Author(s) -
Tsai YiGiien,
Chien JienWen,
Chen WoanLing,
Shieh JengJer,
Lin ChingYuang
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
pediatric allergy and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.269
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1399-3038
pISSN - 0905-6157
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2005.00313.x
Subject(s) - medicine , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , tunel assay , immunology , apoptosis , terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase , immunotherapy , house dust mite , immunoglobulin e , allergen , lymphocyte , immune system , allergy , antibody , immunohistochemistry , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
Allergen‐specific immunotherapy (IT) has been effectively used for the treatment of asthma. Allergen specific IT induced immune tolerance with induction of TH 2 cells anergy remain to be clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the mite allergen Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) specific IT serially decreased IL‐4+/CD4+ (TH 2 ) lymphocytes and induced apoptosis of TH 2 lymphocytes in asthmatic children. Sixty Dpt‐sensitive asthmatic children were randomly assigned to a received IT and an untreated group. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IT treated patients were examined at three time points: before IT, after 6 months of an increased dose phase and with maximum tolerated doses after 1 yr. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated and cultured for 48 h for cellular staining with CD4+, CD45RO cell phenotypes and interleukin (IL)‐4 and interferon‐ γ expression by fluorescence monoclonal antibodies. Apoptosis was measured using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end‐labeling (TUNEL) method. A simultaneous flow cytometric study using the same permeabilized cell was examined to determine whether apoptosis occurred preferentially in TH 2 lymphocytes. The data demonstrated that Dpt specific IT decreased Dpt‐specific IgE levels (p < 0.01) after 1 yr of treatment. In addition, decreased CD4+IL‐4+ TH 2 cells with increased CD4+IFN‐ γ + TH 1 cells were observed at 6 months and 1 yr after IT treatment (p < 0.05). At the same time, apoptosis of CD4+IL‐4+ TH 2 lymphocytes in the IT group had increased after 1 yr of treatment when compared with the results before treatment (p < 0.001) and after 6 months of treatment (p = 0.046). In addition, CD45RO cells apoptosis mainly occurred after 6 months of IT treatment and after 1‐year period of IT treatment (p < 0.05). All of the data suggested that Dpt specific IT decreased Dpt specific IgE and CD4+IL‐4+ TH 2 lymphocytes with induction apoptosis of CD4+IL‐4+ TH 2 lymphocytes subsets serially.