Effect of different inhalant allergens on T-cell subsets in adults with bronchial asthma

Abstract

Objective

We analyzed the impact of different inhalant allergens on T-lymphocyte subsets in patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma.

Methods

The study included 57 bronchial asthma patients and 22 healthy controls. Asthma patients were categorized into dust mite, animal hair, pollen, and mold groups. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cells in the case group and control group. These T-lymphocyte subset markers were evaluated among patients with bronchial asthma caused by different allergens as well as between the case group and control group.

Results

Peripheral blood CD4⁺ T-cells, CD8⁺ T-cells, CD4/CD8 ratio, and Th17/Treg ratios were all higher in the case group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets were compared among the four groups, and it was found that there were statistical differences in the Th17/Treg ratio among the four groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences observed among the four groups in terms of CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, Th17 cells, Treg cells, Th9 cells, and Th22 cells. Further pairwise comparison was made, and the results suggested that the peripheral blood Th17/Treg ratio in the pollen mixed group was lower than that in the dust mite mixed group, animal hair mixed group, and mold mixed group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Patients with bronchial asthma show varied T-lymphocyte subset responses to different inhalant allergens. Elevated CD4+ T cells and Th17 cells in peripheral blood could indicate asthma risk. However, small sample size may introduce bias to these findings.

Keywords:

• Adults
• bronchial asthma
• inhalant allergens
• T-lymphocyte subsets

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the hard and dedicated work of all the staff that implemented the intervention and evaluation components of the study.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was conducted with approval from the Ethics Committee of Tianjin First Central Hospital (2019N075KY). This study was conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

Tianjin First Central Hospital Institutional Fund Project, 2019CF13