SPECIFICITY OF CYTOKINE PROFILE AND OXIDANT STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Summary: Since nowadays morbidity and mortality of bronchial asthma are increasing more and more, this issue presents a global challenge despite the significant development of knowledge about the pathogenetic mechanism of asthma, role of inflammatory cells, regulation of inflammatory and immune responses, about many mediators and their co-regulation. Cytokines and their modulators are becoming increasingly important because they are crucial intercellular transmitters which contribute to the development of airways remodeling. The aim of this study is to evaluate Th1/Th2 ratio and to estimate the inter-dependence between cytokines and pro/antioxidant parameters in patients with newly diagnosed bronchial asthma, which could be the basis for some new possibilities in the prevention and therapeutic application of this chronic disease. The parameters were determined in the patients’ plasma, erythrocytes and cultures of lymphocytes treated with Concanavaline A (Con A) and Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Contrary to Th1 cytokines, Th2 profile of cytokines shows a significant increase (p<0.01) vs. control group, with higher level in extrinsic (atopic asthma) vs. intrinsic asthma. The results of oxidant stress markers (increased levels of lipid peroxides, xanthine oxidase activity in blood of patients with BA) and antioxidant parameters (decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, increased glutathion peroxidase (GPx) and catalase activities, and glutathione (GSH) concentration) suggest that asthma is associated with disturbances in pro/antioxidants indicating that oxidant stress occurres in patients with newly diagnosed BA. Investigation of cytokines in lymphocyte cultures of patients with BA showed a significant increase in basal TNF-a concentration (p<0.05), IL-13 and IL-4 (p<0.05) after stimulation with Con A, and TNF-a after stimulation with PMA (p<0.01). The study of subtle cellular mechanisms in the initiation and development of asthma offers the possibility of applying some blockers of inflammatory and immune mediators as well as transducers, or some supplements which may compensate for defects in asthma regulation mechanisms, regulate disbalance and reorganize pathogenesis of the disease in the desired direction.