2124 Serum Soluble TRAIL Levels In Patients with Severe Persistent Allergic Asthma: Its Relation to Omalizumab Treatment

Monday, 5 December 2011
Poster Hall (Cancún Center)

Arzu Didem Yalcin, MD , Allergology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Antalya Education and Training Hospital, Antalya, Turkey

Atil Bisgin, MD, PhD , Human Gene and Cell Therapy Center of Akdeniz University Hospital and Clinics, Antalya, Turkey

Aysegul Kargi, MD , Oncology Unit, Denizli Education and Training Hospital, Denizli, Turkey

Reginald M Gorczynski, MD, PhD , Division of Cellular & Molecular Biology, Toronto Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

Background: The pathogenesis of allergic asthma and other allergic conditions are believed to be closely interrelated because of the similar dynamics of allergy-inducing cells and molecules, and the independent evidence for their clinical overlap. In this study we compare the diseases and the effect of Omalizumab treatment on the dynamics of cell apoptosis regulating molecules.

Methods:

 In the first group, 6 males and 8 females ( a total of 14 patients) were selected with severe persistent asthma with a mean age of 42.,4 years (Table I). All patients received omalizumab therapy for 4 months, with treatment administered every 2 weeks. Symptoms and severity of allergic reactions were recorded before and after treatment with omalizumab. Clinical changes and adverse effects were assessed and recorded  at each patient visit.

The second group consisted of 14 newly diagnosed allergic asthma patients with mean age was 43,8 years. All of these patients were followed up in the Immunology Allergy Clinic of the Antalya Education and Training Hospital, and were evaluated by clinical status .

The third group consisted of 14 healthy volunteers, with  no difference in  age and sex (mean age was 43,3 years;.

Serum sTRAIL levels in all individuals (patients and healthy controls) were measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Diaclone, France).

Results: There were no differences between the healthy controls, newly diagnosed allergic asthma patients and non-treated severe persistent allergic asthma patients during the active phase (p<0,05). Interestingly, the variance levels in patients who received omalizumab treatment were significantly lower than the healthy controls.

Conclusions:

In summary, we speculate that the physiological functions of sTRAIL in allergic conditions, and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which sTRAIL:TRAILreceptor signals cells, will be of significant interest to the scientific allergy community in the coming years.Our study provides a novel perspective on severe persistent allergic asthma and the effect of omalizumab treatment on cell apoptosis, using serum sTRAIL measurements.