A study on the role of IL- 4 during bronchial asthma attacks
Objective To study the roles of IL 4 during bronchial asthma attacks. Methods The samples of cord blood were collected from 39 neonates whose mothers had asthma history and 46 neonates whose mothers had no asthma history. IL 4, IFN γ, sIL 2R and total IgE in the samples were determined with ELISA and the basophils in the samples were counted. The mRNA and protein of IL 4, and IFN γ in both the T lymphocytes and basophils isolated from the samples were tested with RT PCR and ELISA, respectively. Results The levels of IL 4, IFN γ, sIL 2R and total IgE didn't show any significantly differences between the samples from two groups ( P 0.05). The expressed mRNA and protein of IL 4 in the basophils from the asthma group were significantly higher than those from the control and also higher than those of T lymphocytes from the same samples ( P 0.01). Conclusions The basophils of the newborns born to mothers with asthmatic history are more sensitive to the stimulants in the environment than those of the control newborns. This suggests that IL 4 expressed by basophils might play an important role in asthma attacks.