ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many asthmatic patients exhibit uncontrolled asthma despite high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Airway epithelial cells (AEC) have distinct activation profiles that can influence ICS response. OBJECTIVES: A pilot study to identify gene expression markers of AEC dysfunction and markers of corticosteroid sensitivity in asthmatic and non-asthmatic control children, for comparison with published reports in adults. METHODS: AEC were obtained by nasal brushings and primary submerged cultures, and incubated in control conditions or in the presence of 10 ng/ml TNFalpha, 10-8M dexamethasone, or both. RT-PCR-based expression of FKBP51 (a steroid hormone receptor signalling regulator), NF-kB, IL-6, LIF (an IL-6 family neurotrophic cytokine), serpinB2 (which inhibits plasminogen activation and promotes fibrin deposition) and porin (a marker of mitochondrial mass) were determined. RESULTS: 6 patients without asthma (median age 11yr; min-max: 7-13), 8 with controlled asthma (11yr, 7-13; median daily fluticasone dose = 100 µg), and 4 with uncontrolled asthma (12yr, 7-14; 1000 µg fluticasone daily) were included. Baseline expression of LIF mRNA was significantly increased in uncontrolled vs controlled asthmatic children. TNFalpha significantly increased LIF expression in uncontrolled asthma. A similar trend was observed regarding IL-6. Dexamethasone significantly upregulated FKBP51 expression in all groups but the response was blunted in asthmatic children. No significant upregulation was identified regarding NF-kB, serpinB2 and porin. CONCLUSION: LIF and FKBP51 expression in epithelial cells were the most interesting markers of AEC dysfunction/response to corticosteroid treatment.
