Jeng K C, Liu M T, Wu C H, Wong D W, Lan J L
Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Clin Exp Allergy. 1996 Mar;26(3):349-56.
Previous studies have shown cockroach-induced antigen-specific IgE-mediated asthma. In cockroach-infested areas, more then 50% of asthmatic subjects may have positive skin reactions to this allergen. Partial purified Cr-PI allergen from American cockroaches contains allergens with molecular weights of 72 and 78 kDa; however, little is known about its effect on the lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production.
IgE synthesis is known to be regulated by interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon gamma (IFN gamma). Therefore, we studied Cr-PI allergen-induced cytokine production in atopic patients and healthy normal controls to understand each factors' role in the disease.
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from cockroach skin-sensitive patients and controls were stimulated with mitogen and Cr-PI for proliferative response and cytokine production. Cr-PI antigen-specific T-cell cultures of atopic patients and healthy normal controls were used to test Cr-PI-induced proliferation and cytokine mRNA expression.
PMBC of atopic subjects showed a significantly (P < 0.01) higher stimulation index for Cr-PI induced proliferation (SI = 11.8 +/- 3.7) when compared with that of non-atopic subjects (SI = 4.1 +/- 0.8) and cord bloods (SI = 2.1 +/- 0.4). Cr-PI-induced IL-4 was observed only in the PBMC of atopic patients, whereas Cr-PI-induced IFN gamma was detected in both atopic patients and normal controls. Likewise, Cr-PI-induced IL-4 mRNA expression in T-cell cultures was detected in all atopics but only one of nine controls.
IL-4 mRNA expression and IL-4 production in PBMC and T-cell cultures of atopic patients showed good correlation with clinical symptoms, skin-reactivity, specific IgE and proliferative response to Cr-PI. These results suggests that cockroach allergen may be a hidden cause of asthma and other atopic diseases.
先前的研究表明蟑螂诱发的抗原特异性IgE介导的哮喘。在蟑螂滋生的地区，超过50%的哮喘患者可能对这种过敏原产生阳性皮肤反应。从美洲蟑螂中部分纯化的Cr-PI过敏原含有分子量为72和78 kDa的过敏原；然而，其对淋巴细胞增殖和细胞因子产生的影响知之甚少。
已知IgE合成受白细胞介素-4（IL-4）和干扰素γ（IFNγ）调节。因此，我们研究了Cr-PI过敏原在特应性患者和健康正常对照中诱导的细胞因子产生，以了解每个因素在该疾病中的作用。
用丝裂原和Cr-PI刺激蟑螂皮肤敏感患者和对照的外周血单核细胞（PBMC），以进行增殖反应和细胞因子产生。使用特应性患者和健康正常对照的Cr-PI抗原特异性T细胞培养物来测试Cr-PI诱导的增殖和细胞因子mRNA表达。
与非特应性受试者（刺激指数=4.1±0.8）和脐血（刺激指数=2.1±0.4）相比，特应性受试者的PMBC对Cr-PI诱导的增殖表现出显著更高（P<0.01）的刺激指数（刺激指数=11.8±3.7）。仅在特应性患者的PBMC中观察到Cr-PI诱导的IL-4，而在特应性患者和正常对照中均检测到Cr-PI诱导的IFNγ。同样，在所有特应性患者的T细胞培养物中检测到Cr-PI诱导的IL-4 mRNA表达，但在九个对照中仅一个检测到。
特应性患者PBMC和T细胞培养物中IL-4 mRNA表达和IL-4产生与临床症状、皮肤反应性、特异性IgE以及对Cr-PI的增殖反应具有良好的相关性。这些结果表明蟑螂过敏原可能是哮喘和其他特应性疾病的一个潜在病因。
