Several studies analyzing the immune responses in patients with
cow's milk allergy (CMA) have used T-cell lines or T-cell clones that require prolonged in vitro cell culturing and may result in a switched cell phenotype and function. We investigated immune responses to
beta-lactoglobulin (b-LG) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after a short in vitro
antigen stimulation in children with acute CMA (both
IgE-mediated and non-
IgE-mediated forms) and in those who outgrew an
IgE-mediated CMA. Healthy controls were also investigated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assayed for
IL-13, IFN-γ,
IL-4, and
IL-10. Although b-LG induced a
cytokine production and/or cell proliferation almost in all children, included healthy controls, differences were observed among the four groups. Children with
IgE-mediated CMA had a marked Th2-response, with high
IL-13 production and proliferation, but low IFN-γ; by contrast, children with non-
IgE-mediated CMA produced no, or very low,
IL-13 and cell proliferation. Children, who outgrew CMA, showed a shift to a Th1-response, with reduced
IL-13 and increased IFN-γ. IL-10-responses were high in all groups, with the highest level in healthy children; by contrast,
IL-4 was undetectable in all children. This study highlights the use of shortly stimulated peripheral blood cells to investigate the food-induced immune responses.