Methylprednisolone regulates the dysfunctional T_H subsets observed in children with asthma
Objective In order to observe the clinical effects of a new type of glucocorticoids methylprednisolone (MP) in the treatment of asthma, and explore the mechanism of MP in the treatment of this disease. Methods 30 asthmatic children were divided into two groups, one as MP treated group, and the other as control group. All blood samples were collected before and after treatment with MP. The serum IgE, cytokine production in the cultured supernatants of PBMC, and the cytokine mRNA expression were determined by ELISA and RT PCR methods respectively. Results (1) There were obvious clinical effects observed in the MP treated patients compared with the controls; (2) MP inhibited both T H1 and T H2 type cytokines; (3) MP inhibited both IFN γ and IL 4 mRNA expression. Conclusion The anti inflammatory action of MP in asthma may be associated with its immunomodulatory function, which influences the production of T H1 and T H2 type cytokines and blocks the cascade of inflammation.