Allergen-specific conventional immunotherapy decreases immunoglobulin E-mediated basophil histamine releasability.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Allergen-specific immunotherapy has proven to be clinically effective in the treatment of patients with atopic asthma; however, the mechanisms are still unclear. Several noted immunological changes include an increase of the allergen-specific IgG antibody, a reduction in the allergen-specific IgE antibody subsequent to transient increase, an allergen-specific T cell shift in cytokine production from Th2 to Th1, and a decrease in quantity and activity of basophils and mast cells.

OBJECTIVE:

To analyse the changes of basophil histamine release in response to IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated stimuli before and after conventional house-dust mite immunotherapy in children who suffer from atopic asthma.

METHODS:

Fourteen Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) sensitive asthmatic children with conventional immunotherapy were examined. Basophil histamine releasability was measured 0 months (just before immunotherapy), 4 months and 9 months after immunotherapy. Basophils were stimulated with Df and goat anti-human IgE antibody as IgE-mediated stimuli; and formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) and calcium ionophore A23187 as non-IgE-mediated stimuli. Accordingly, the asthma symptom score was used to assess clinical outcome and the skin test reactivity to Df was measured.

RESULTS:

In contrast to pre-immunotherapy activity, 4 and 9 months after immunotherapy there were significant decreases in histamine release by Df and by anti-IgE antibody. The histamine release by fMLP and by calcium ionophore showed no significant changes after immunotherapy. Histamine release by Df demonstrated significant correlation to that by anti-IgE antibody and by fMLP, yet there was no observable correlation between histamine release by Df and by calcium ionophore. The asthma symptom score decreased significantly 4 and 9 months after immunotherapy and showed significant correlation with histamine release by Df. The skin test reactivity (allergen/histamine ratio) remained constant 4 months after immunotherapy, but decreased significantly 9 months after immunotherapy.

CONCLUSION:

Basophils have the potential to play an important role in the early clinical improvement of conventional immunotherapy in children with atopic asthma, which may be a result of the decreased IgE-mediated histamine releasability during immunotherapy.

• Authors: J-Y Shim, B-S Kim, S-H Cho, K-U Min, S-J Hong
• Journal: Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Clin Exp Allergy) Vol. 33 Issue 1 Pg. 52-7 (Jan 2003) ISSN: 0954-7894 [Print] England
• PMID: 12534549 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Allergens
• Immunoglobulin E

Topics

• Adolescent
• Allergens (therapeutic use)
• Asthma (immunology, therapy)
• Basophils (immunology, metabolism)
• Child
• Dermatophagoides farinae
• Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
• Female
• Histamine Release
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin E (blood, immunology)
• Immunotherapy (methods)
• Male
• Statistics, Nonparametric
• Time Factors