Role of Interluekin-12, 13, 18 and IgE in Asthmatic Yemeni Children,
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- Category: Vol. 84, March 2016
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Role of Interluekin-12, 13, 18 and IgE in Asthmatic Yemeni Children, ALI AL-ERYANI, NAJLA AL-SONBOLI, AHMED AL-KHORASANI, NASHER AL-AGHBARI and SALEEM M. AL-HAMADN
Abstract
Background: Asthma is the most common chronic respi-ratory disease among children causing considerable morbidity and mortality. The exact cause of asthma has not yet been identified but it is believed that multiple factors are involved with interplay between host factors (particularly genetics) and environmental factors that occur at a crucial time in the development of the immune.
Airway inflammation in asthma may represent a loss of normal balance between two opposing populations of T-helper lymphocytes; Th1 and Th2 either as overexpression of Th2 or under expression of Th1. Th1/Th2 imbalance plays an important role in the development of asthma and allergic diseases with an imbalance between Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles and evidence that allergic diseases, and possibly asthma, are characterized by a shift toward a Th2 cytokine-like disease, either as over expression of Th2 or under expres-sion of Th1. Cytokines play an important role in the coordi-nation and persistence of inflammation in asthma, although the precise role of each cytokine remains to be determined.
Objective: To compare the serum levels of Interlukin-12 (IL-12), IL-13, IL-18 and total IgE (TIgE) in asthmatic children with age-matched healthy control group in Sana'a City.
Methods: The study was a hospital based prospective case control study of children 5-15 years old attending two referral Pediatric Hospitals in Sana'a, Yemen; Al-Sabeen Hospital for Maternity and Childhood and Al-Thawra General Modern Hospital. The data collection was for 12 months, from October 2013 up to November 2014. Seventy children were enrolled, 35 asthmatic children and 35 age matched (5-15y) healthy controls. Serum IL- 12, IL- 13, IL- 18 and TIgE concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the National Blood Transfusion and Researches Center (NB-TRC), Sana'a. Serum IgE levels were measured using: DRG Human IgE ELISA Kit (catalogue number (EIA- 1788), DRG International Inc., USA). Serum IL-12, IL-13 and IL-18: Using Glory Science Human IL- 12, IL- 13 and IL- 18 ELISA Kits (Glory Science Co., Ltd, USA) according to the manu-facturer's instructions. Data were stored and analysed by Epi-info 2011 version 3.5.3.
Results: Serum IL-12 and IL-18 levels in the asthmatic children were significantly lower than controls. On the other hand, serum IL-13 and serum TIgE levels in the asthmatic children were significantly higher than controls. The percentage as well as the absolute count of peripheral blood eosinophils was significantly elevated in the asthmatic children compared with the control group.
Conclusion: Th1-Th2 imbalance is an important charac-teristic of asthma with a predominance of Th2 cytokines such as IL-13 with a relative deficiency of Th1 cytokines, such as IL- 12 and IL- 18. Cytokines are critical in the pathophysiology of asthma raising the possibility that inhibition of Th-2 cytokines or promotion of Th1-skewing cytokines could be a logical approach to asthma therapy.