Lurie A, Chaussain M, Raynaud F, de Montis G, Strauch G, Lockhart A, Marsac J, Dardenne M
Hôpital Cochin, Département de Pneumologie, Paris, France.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1989 Sep;84(3):386-90. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(89)90425-9.
In asthma, it has been hypothesized that suppressor T-lymphocytes play a protective role and have been reported to be functionally abnormal. Thymic hormone thymulin plays a role in the differentiation of T-lymphocytes and plasmatic thymulin concentration and is related to the functional state of the thymus. To assess the participation of the thymus in the impairment of T-lymphocyte function, we measured plasma thymulin activity in children with allergic asthma (N = 40). The plasma thymulin activity was compared with plasma thymulin activity of children with nonallergic asthma (N = 6), children with atopic dermatitis (N = 9) or allergic rhinitis (N = 7), and in age-matched healthy control children (N = 18) (age range of children studied, 2 to 19 years). Thymulin activity was found within the normal range (1/16 to 1/64) in all control children and in all children with allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis, as well as in all children with intrinsic asthma and atopic dermatitis. Our findings are at variance with the low thymulin activity previously reported in allergic asthma, and we could not explain these discrepancies. (Both studies used the same bioassay, and the population studied did not appear to be different.) T-lymphocyte abnormalities in subjects with asthma must be assessed by other means than measurement of thymic function.
在哮喘中，曾有假说认为抑制性T淋巴细胞发挥保护作用，但有报道称其功能异常。胸腺激素胸腺生成素在T淋巴细胞分化及血浆胸腺生成素浓度方面发挥作用，且与胸腺的功能状态相关。为评估胸腺在T淋巴细胞功能损害中的参与情况，我们测定了过敏性哮喘患儿（N = 40）的血浆胸腺生成素活性。将这些患儿的血浆胸腺生成素活性与非过敏性哮喘患儿（N = 6）、特应性皮炎患儿（N = 9）或过敏性鼻炎患儿（N = 7）以及年龄匹配的健康对照儿童（N = 18）（所研究儿童的年龄范围为2至19岁）的血浆胸腺生成素活性进行比较。结果发现，所有对照儿童、所有过敏性哮喘和过敏性鼻炎患儿以及所有内源性哮喘和特应性皮炎患儿的胸腺生成素活性均在正常范围内（1/16至1/64）。我们的研究结果与先前报道的过敏性哮喘中胸腺生成素活性较低的情况不一致，且我们无法解释这些差异。（两项研究均使用相同的生物测定法，且所研究的人群似乎并无差异。）哮喘患者的T淋巴细胞异常情况必须通过测量胸腺功能以外的其他方法进行评估。
