Cytokine in asthma

Chung F. 2001. Anti-inflammatory cytokines in asthma and allergy Interleukin 10, interleukin 12, interferon gamma. Mediators Inflamm. 10 51-59. 

HUMBERT, M. (1996) Pre-eosinophilic cytokines in asthma. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 26, 123-127. 

Wei H, Zhang J, Xiao W, Feng J, Sun R, 35 Tian Z Involvement of human natural killer ceUs in asthma pathogenesis natural kiUer 2 cells in type 2 cytokine predominance. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2005 115 841-847. 

The biochemistry of cytokine and chemokine involvement in asthma is complex (216,217). Future studies will distinguish the relative importance of these systems to asthma. The involvement of the cytokine pathway in asthma, however, has been confirmed by the linkage of a locus for an enzyme in this pathway, dipeptidyl peptidase (DPPIO), located on chromosome 2ql4-32. 

All corticosteroids have the same general mechanism of action they traverse cell membranes and bind to a specific cytoplasmic receptor. The steroid-receptor complex translocates to the cell nucleus, where it attaches to nuclear binding sites and initiates synthesis of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The novel proteins that are formed may exert a variety of effects on cellular functions. The precise mechanisms whereby the corticosteroids exert their therapeutic benefit in asthma remain unclear, although the benefit is likely to be due to several actions rather than one specific action and is related to their ability to inhibit inflammatory processes. At the molecular level, corticosteroids regulate the transcription of a number of genes, including those for several cytokines. 

The corticosteroids have an array of actions in several systems that may be relevant to their effectiveness in asthma. These include inhibition of cytokine and mediator release, attenuation of mucus secretion, up-regulation of (3-adrenoceptor numbers, inhibition of IgE synthesis, attenuation of eicosanoid generation, decreased microvascular permeability, and suppression of inflammatory cell influx and inflammatory processes. The effects of the steroids take several hours to days to develop, so they cannot be used for quick relief of acute episodes of bronchospasm. 

The CBA (BD Pharmingen) is a series of spectrally discrete, uniform-size microparticles that can be used simultaneously to detect different soluble analytes including cytokines in a single sample on the basis of different color using flow cytometry. This series of particles with discrete fluorescence intensities can simultaneously detect a panel of six human cytokines (IFN-y, TNF-o , IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10) (C9, C16) (Fig. 3 see color insert). This newly developed method can save more time, consume less sample, and achieve similar sensitivity (pg/ml) and reproducibility compared with ELISA. Moreover, the ability of the CBA to measure the concentrations of six cytokines from the same sample permits the calculation of cytokine ratios. Cytokine ratios are considered markers of various disease states such as asthma, atopy, and SLE (K3, A4). The relative balances... 

Much inflammation in asthma is thought to be a consequence of the inappropriate accumulation of eosinophils and the subsequent release of their potent proinflammatory arsenal that includes such diverse elements as granule-derived basic proteins, mediators, cytokines, and chemokines (5). Interleukin (lL)-5 is cmcial to the development and release of eosinophils from the bone marrow, their enhanced adhesion to endothelial cells that line the postcapillary venules, and their persistence, activation, and secretion in the tissues. Several animal models of asthma including the use of primates have provided good evidence... 

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