LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN THE PATIENTS WITH MILD BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Abstract

Abstract. A study of leukocyte regulation system in a remission stage of bronchial asthma (BA) patients included following tests: CD-typing of lymphocytes, investigations in humoral and phagocytic mechanisms of immunity, evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage characteristics, measurements of spontaneous production of IL-4, IL-1β, IL-10 and IFNγ cytokines in whole blood supernates and bronchoalveolar lavage, as compared with control samples. The first group represented mild-stage, mixed-type BA patients (both allergy- and infection-dependent), being in remission state. The second (control) group consisted of sixteen conditionally healthy patients.The results have shown that, even at early stages of BA development, some components of chronic inflammatory process are formed. They could be characterized as accumulation of different inflammatory cells, i.e., eosinophils, neutrophils, alveolar macrophages and monocytes at the local level. In parallel, some changes in T-, B-subpopulations and phagocytic compartment occur at systemic level. All these events comprise a basis for changes in type and quantity of the cytokines produced. It was established that the profile of cytokine secretion in peripheral blood is identical to the cytokine secretion profile in lung tissue.

Keywords

• bronchial asthma
• cd-typing
• bronchoalveolar lavage
• cytokines