Abstract
Recently, researches on the mechanism of bronchial asthma have been focused on immunological aspects, including lymphocytic responses.
In this paper the lymphocytic re sponses and serum IgE level were studied on asthmatic children visited the out-patient clinic of Kansai Medical University Hospital, and they were compared with those of non-asthmatic children. The studies were carried out in several directions, such as in the patients of pre- and post- immunotherapy, in the patients with varied severities (mild, moderate, severe) of asthmatic attacks. Lymphocyte studies were also do ne on the lymphocytic responses to mitogens, and the following results were obtained.
1. There was no significant difference in the lymphocyte populations between controls and asthmatic children as well as between mild, moderate and severe groups.
2. There was no correlation between elevated IgE and immunotherapy using house dust extracts.
3. The tritiated thymidine uptake of lymphocytes stimulated with PHA and Con. A decreased in severe group, compared with mild or moderate group. However, pokeweed mit ogen did not show any significant influence on thymidine uptake of lymphocytes.
4. In vitro study of lymphocytic DNA synthesis, Epinephrine inhibited the DNA synthesis of lymphocytes obtained from the control children, but it showed a decreased inhibition in th e case of lymphocytes from the severe group.
5. The results of this present study support the conclusions that in asthmatic children nonspecific suppressor T-cells decrease only in its functional activity and β-adrenergic cyclic AMP system is damaged.
