Möller G M, Overbeek S E, Van Helden-Meeuwsen C G, Van Haarst J M, Prens E P, Mulder P G, Postma D S, Hoogsteden H C
Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Clin Exp Allergy. 1996 May;26(5):517-24.
Dendritic cells (DC) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells (APC) and stimulators of T cells. Dendritic cells are also likely to be essential for the initiation of allergic immune responses in the lung. However, there are not many data on the presence of dendritic cells in the airways of patients with atopic asthma and on the effects of corticosteroid-treatment on such dendritic cells.
We investigated the distribution of dendritic cells in the bronchial epithelium and mucosa of 16 non-smoking atopic asthmatic patients and eight healthy control subjects using detailed immunohistochemistry (CD1a, HLA-DR, L25 as markers for dendritic cells).
Eleven asthmatics were treated for 2.5 years with bronchodilators only and five with bronchodilators and inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), 800 micrograms daily. The patients were randomly sampled from a double-blind multicentre study.
There were higher numbers of CD1a+ DC (P = 0.003), L25+ DC (P = 0.002) and HLA-DR expression (P = 0.042) in the bronchial mucosa of asthmatic patients compared with healthy controls. After 2.5 years of treatment, we found a significant increase in flow expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (P = 0.009) and a significant decrease in hyperresponsiveness (PC20 histamine) (P = 0.013) in the corticosteroid group (n = 5) compared with the bronchodilator group (n = 11). This clinical improvement in the corticosteroid-treated group was accompanied by significantly lower numbers of CD1a+ DC (P = 0.008), and HLA-DR expression (P = 0.028) in the bronchial mucosa than in the bronchodilator-treated group.
Our data suggest that dendritic cells are involved in asthmatic inflammation and that corticosteroids may downregulate the number of dendritic.
树突状细胞（DC）是最有效的抗原呈递细胞（APC）和T细胞刺激剂。树突状细胞也可能是肺部过敏性免疫反应启动所必需的。然而，关于特应性哮喘患者气道中树突状细胞的存在情况以及皮质类固醇治疗对这些树突状细胞的影响的数据并不多。
我们使用详细的免疫组织化学方法（以CD1a、HLA-DR、L25作为树突状细胞的标志物），研究了16名非吸烟特应性哮喘患者和8名健康对照者支气管上皮和黏膜中树突状细胞的分布情况。
11名哮喘患者仅接受支气管扩张剂治疗2.5年，5名患者接受支气管扩张剂和每日800微克吸入丙酸倍氯米松（BDP）治疗。这些患者是从一项双盲多中心研究中随机抽取的。
与健康对照者相比，哮喘患者支气管黏膜中CD1a+DC数量更多（P = 0.003）、L25+DC数量更多（P = 0.0:02）以及HLA-DR表达更高（P = 0.042）。治疗2.5年后，我们发现与支气管扩张剂组（n = 11）相比，皮质类固醇组（n = 5）的1秒用力呼气量（FEV1）显著增加（P = 0.009），高反应性（组胺PC20）显著降低（P = 0.013）。皮质类固醇治疗组的这种临床改善伴随着支气管黏膜中CD1a+DC数量（P = 0.008）和HLA-DR表达（P = 0.028）显著低于支气管扩张剂治疗组。
我们的数据表明树突状细胞参与哮喘炎症，并且皮质类固醇可能下调树突状细胞的数量。
