ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2009) — According to a new study, the frequency of regulatory T-cells (Treg) correlates to the severity of inflammation in allergic asthma, suggesting that Treg may play an important role in asthma pathogenesis.

A study in Respirology, published by Wiley-Blackwell, used mouse models and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from subjects with allergic asthma to assess the association of the Treg cells with asthma phenotypes.

Researchers found that the frequency of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of allergic asthmatics were lower when compared to healthy subjects. Lung Treg were also found to be associated with the severity of eosinophillic airway inflammation in the mice.

"The correlation of Treg with asthma pathogenesis indicates that it is important to evaluate Tregs in allergic asthmatic patients - especially in relation to clinical severity and the degree of airway inflammation", said author Professor Hiromasa Inoue from the Research Institute for Diseases of the Chest, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyushu University.

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by Wiley - Blackwell, via AlphaGalileo.

Journal Reference:

1. Matsumoto et al. Frequency of Foxp3+CD4+CD25+T cells is associated with the phenotypes of allergic asthma. Respirology, 2009; 14 (2): 187 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2008.01472.x

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