Seroogy Christine M, Gern James E
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Nov;116(5):996-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2005.07.015. Epub 2005 Sep 9.
As a chronic inflammatory disease, much of the research related to asthma has been focused on proinflammatory mechanisms. Recently, advances have been made in defining mechanisms that control inflammation and induce immune tolerance to specific antigens. Subsets of CD4(+) cells known as T regulatory cells play an important role in directing these processes, and recent experiments have begun to define crucial molecular and signaling pathways. There is a growing body of evidence describing the function of T regulatory cells in the development, disease activity, and treatment responses related to asthma and other atopic diseases. Collectively, this new information suggests that a greater understanding of these pathways might lead to new therapeutic targets for asthma and other diseases of chronic airway inflammation.
作为一种慢性炎症性疾病，许多与哮喘相关的研究都集中在促炎机制上。最近，在确定控制炎症和诱导对特定抗原的免疫耐受的机制方面取得了进展。被称为调节性T细胞的CD4(+)细胞亚群在指导这些过程中发挥着重要作用，最近的实验已经开始确定关键的分子和信号通路。越来越多的证据描述了调节性T细胞在与哮喘和其他特应性疾病相关的发展、疾病活动和治疗反应中的功能。总体而言，这些新信息表明，对这些通路的更深入理解可能会为哮喘和其他慢性气道炎症疾病带来新的治疗靶点。
