Effect of different inhalant allergens on T-cell subsets in adults with bronchial asthma

We analyzed the impact of different inhalant allergens on T-lymphocyte subsets in patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma. The study included 57 bronchial asthma patients and 22 healthy controls. Asthma patients were categorized into dust mite, animal hair, pollen, and mold groups. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cells in the case group and control group. These T-lymphocyte subset markers were evaluated among patients with bronchial asthma caused by different allergens as well as between the case group and control group. Peripheral blood CD4⁺ T-cells, CD8⁺ T-cells, CD4/CD8 ratio, and Th17/Treg ratios were all higher in the case group than in the control group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets were compared among the four groups, and it was found that there were statistical differences in the Th17/Treg ratio among the four groups (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). There were no significant differences observed among the four groups in terms of CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, Th17 cells, Treg cells, Th9 cells, and Th22 cells. Further pairwise comparison was made, and the results suggested that the peripheral blood Th17/Treg ratio in the pollen mixed group was lower than that in the dust mite mixed group, animal hair mixed group, and mold mixed group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Patients with bronchial asthma show varied T-lymphocyte subset responses to different inhalant allergens. Elevated CD4+ T cells and Th17 cells in peripheral blood could indicate asthma risk. However, small sample size may introduce bias to these findings.

本研究分析了不同吸入性变应原对支气管哮喘患者T淋巴细胞亚群（T-lymphocyte subsets）的影响。本研究共纳入57例支气管哮喘患者与22例健康对照者，将哮喘患者分为尘螨组、动物毛屑组、花粉组及霉菌组。采用流式细胞术（Flow cytometry）对病例组与对照组的细胞进行检测，对不同变应原诱发的支气管哮喘患者，以及病例组与健康对照组之间的T淋巴细胞亚群标志物进行了评估。病例组外周血CD4⁺T细胞（CD4⁺ T-cells）、CD8⁺T细胞（CD8⁺ T-cells）、CD4/CD8比值及Th17/Treg比值均高于对照组（*p*<0.05）。对四组患者的外周血T淋巴细胞亚群进行比较后发现，四组间Th17/Treg比值存在统计学差异（*p*<0.05）。四组间CD3⁺细胞（CD3⁺ cells）、CD4⁺细胞、CD8⁺细胞、Th1细胞、Th2细胞、Th17细胞、Treg细胞、Th9细胞及Th22细胞均无显著差异。进一步行两两比较后结果显示，花粉混合组外周血Th17/Treg比值低于尘螨混合组、动物毛屑混合组及霉菌混合组（*p*<0.05）。支气管哮喘患者对不同吸入性变应原的T淋巴细胞亚群应答存在差异。外周血CD4⁺T细胞与Th17细胞水平升高可提示哮喘发病风险。但本研究样本量较小，上述结论可能存在偏倚。