Cytokine responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to allergen do not identify asthma or asthma phenotypes

SummaryBackground Asthmatic patients are often differentiated based on their atopic status (atopic or nonatopic) and type of bronchitis (eosinophilic, neutrophilic, both, or neither). There is evidence supporting a central role for the T cell in asthma, but the role of allergen-induced T cell cytokines in driving disease in different asthma phenotypes remains unclear. Objective To investigate the hypothesis that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from asthma patients with different phenotypes would react characteristically to a panel of common aeroallergens. Methods We incubated PBMCs from 41 asthma patients and 8 healthy controls with allergen and assessed PBMC proliferation by 3H-thymidine incorporation and the production of the cytokines IL-5, IL-17A, IL-23, IL-10, and IFN-γ by ELISA. Results No differences in PBMC proliferation or cytokine production were found in patients with asthma, compared with healthy controls, or between patients with different asthma phenotypes. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine responses to allergen are not able to assist in the discrimination between disease state, atopic status, or type of bronchitis in asthma.