Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2007 May;50(5):416-419.

Immunologic Response of Upper and Lower Airway Disease Patients Against Airborne Fungal Cultural Extracts

• Shin SH
• Ye MK
• Kim KY

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma are linked by epidemiologic, physiologic, and immunopathologic characteristics and by similar therapeutic approach. They have clinical manifestations of a systemic inflammatory process within the respiratory tract. The purpose of this study was to determine the immunologic response of upper and lower airway disease patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) against airborne fungi.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
PBMC from ten healthy human volunteers (NC), fourteen chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), eleven allergic rhinitis (AR), twelve allergic asthma (AA), and six non-allergic asthma (NAA) were stimulated with 50 microgram/ml Alternaria, Aspergillus, Candida, Cladosporium, and Penicillium. To determine the activation of PBMC, IL-5, IL-13, and INF-gamma were measured with the ELISA method.
RESULTS
CRS, AR, AA patients produced large amounts of IL-5 (by Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Candida) and IL-13 (by Alternaria) than NC. NAA and CRS patients produced larger amounts of INF-gamma (by Alternaria) than NC. Alternaria enhanced the production of cytokines most strongly, and Penicillium didn't influence the production of cytokines.
CONCLUSION
Fungi, especially Alternaria, may play a role in pathogenesis of upper and lower airway diseases by activating PBMC. Allergic and non-allergic inflammatory reactions are involved in the pathogenesis of CRS.

Keyword

Fungus; Chronic sinusitis; Allergic rhinitis; Asthma; Peripheral blood mononuclear cell; Cytokine

MeSH Terms

Alternaria
Aspergillus
Asthma
Candida
Cladosporium
Cytokines
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Fungi
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Interleukin-13
Interleukin-5
Penicillium
Respiratory System
Rhinitis
Sinusitis
Cytokines
Interleukin-13
Interleukin-5