thymosin and Asthma

Induction of theophylline-sensitive T-suppressor cells with THF, a thymic hormone, resulted in elevation of the low levels of these lymphocytes in non-treated asthmatic children. Evaluation, however, by monoclonal OKT8 antibodies did not show changes in the levels of the OKT8+ cells after THF incubation. In the treated asthmatic children, normal levels of theophylline-sensitive T-suppressor cells as well as OKT8+ cells were found. These normal levels were not changed with THF after in vitro incubation.

Topics: Adolescent; Animals; Asthma; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Graft vs Host Reaction; Humans; Leukocyte Count; Male; Rats; T-Lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Theophylline; Thymosin

Thirty asthmatic children were compared with an equal number of age-matched healthy children. The mean peripheral blood T-lymphocyte level without foetal calf serum was lower in the asthmatic group (mean 970/mm3, as against 1740/mm3; P less than 0.0001), but this difference was abolished by adding foetal calf serum or thymosin, thus explaining how quite severe T-cell deficiency can be missed by widely used methods. The degree of eosinophilia and the degree of elevation of the plasma IgE level in the asthmatic patients were positively correlated. Positive correlations were also shown between the degree of severity of the asthma, the degree of eosinophilia and the degree of elevation of the plasma IgE level, but not the degree of depression of the T-cell numbers. If this T-cell deficiency reflects an inadequate suppression of IgE responses, a clinical trial of thymosin appears to be warranted.

Topics: Adolescent; Asthma; Child; Eosinophils; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocyte Depletion; Male; Rosette Formation; T-Lymphocytes; Thymosin; Thymus Hormones