Li Na, Cao Na, Niu Yan-Dong, Bai Xiu-Hui, Lu Jie, Sun Yu, Yu Min, Sun Li-Xin, Duan Xin-Suo
Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei 067000, P.R. China.
Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei 067000, P.R. China.
Biomed Rep. 2013 Sep;1(5):713-718. doi: 10.3892/br.2013.130. Epub 2013 Jul 4.
Urticaria is one of the most frequent dermatoses and its prevalence in the general population is estimated to be ~20%, whereas a substantial percentage of the cases may be classified as chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). The inflammatory response presenting with spontaneous wheals exhibits pro-inflammatory characteristics, involving a prominent role for lymphocytes with a mixed Th1/Th2 response in which interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10 are prominently secreted by Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. In CIU patients, it was demonstrated that IL-10 production was elevated and IL-2 reduced compared to controls. Therefore, inhibition of IL-10 and promotion of IL-2 production by the lymphocytes, indicating Th2 inhibition and Th1 promotion, may facilitate the treatment of CIU. Whether the polysaccharide nucleic acid fraction of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG-PSN), which possesses multiple immunomodulatory properties, has that potential, remains to be elucidated. In this study, BCG-PSN was used on lymphocytes isolated from CIU patients, with healthy donors used as controls. Immunocytochemistry and ELISA were used to detect IL-2 and IL-10 production. It was demonstrated that the IL-2 production by the lymphocytes in the CIU group was significantly lower compared to that in the healthy control group and it increased sequentially with the increase of the concentration of BCG-PSN used. By contrast, the IL-10 production by the lymphocytes in the CIU group was significantly higher compared to that in the healthy control group and decreased sequentially with the increase of the concentration of BCG-PSN used. Thus, it may be concluded that the BCG-PSN has the potential to promote IL-2 and inhibit IL-10 production in the lymphocytes of CIU patients, facilitating the treatment of CIU.
荨麻疹是最常见的皮肤病之一，据估计其在普通人群中的患病率约为20%，而相当一部分病例可归类为慢性特发性荨麻疹（CIU）。以自发性风团为表现的炎症反应具有促炎特征，淋巴细胞发挥重要作用，呈现Th1/Th2混合反应，其中白细胞介素（IL）-2和IL-10分别由Th1和Th2细胞大量分泌。在CIU患者中，已证实与对照组相比，IL-10的产生增加而IL-2减少。因此，抑制淋巴细胞产生IL-10并促进IL-2产生，即抑制Th2并促进Th1，可能有助于CIU的治疗。具有多种免疫调节特性的卡介苗多糖核酸（BCG-PSN）是否具有这种潜力，仍有待阐明。在本研究中，将BCG-PSN用于从CIU患者分离的淋巴细胞，以健康供者作为对照。采用免疫细胞化学和酶联免疫吸附测定法检测IL-2和IL-10的产生。结果表明，CIU组淋巴细胞产生的IL-2明显低于健康对照组，且随着所用BCG-PSN浓度的增加而依次增加。相比之下，CIU组淋巴细胞产生的IL-10明显高于健康对照组，且随着所用BCG-PSN浓度的增加而依次降低。因此，可以得出结论，BCG-PSN有可能促进CIU患者淋巴细胞中IL-2的产生并抑制IL-10的产生，从而有助于CIU的治疗。
