[Effect of rosiglitazone on the expression of T-bet/GATA-3 in T lymphocytes in patients with acute asthma]

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of rosiglitazone on the expression of T-bet/GATA-3 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes and cytokine derived from Th1/Th2 in patients with acute asthma and to compare its mechanism with that of dexamethasone (DXM).

Methods: Peripheral blood T lymphocytes from 10 patients with acute asthma (A group, A) and 10 healthy volunteers (B group, B) were isolated, purificated and cultured, and were divided into 2 groups (3 h and 24 h) based on the treatment time, and each group was further divided, on the basis of the treatment given, into 3 sub-groups respectively: control group (A(1) and B(1)), rosiglitazone treated group (A(2) and B(2)) and DXM treated group (A(3) and B(3)). The levels of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in the culture supernatant were detected by Enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) and the expression levels of T-bet mRNA/GATA-3 mRNA in T lymphocytes was detected by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).

Results: The levels of INF-gamma and INF-gamma/IL-4 in the culture supernatant of T lymphocytes and T-bet mRNA and T-bet mRNA/GATA-3 mRNA in T lymphocytes from the A at 3 h and 24 h were 357 +/- 31, 783 +/- 47, 5.5 +/- 1.0, 8.4 +/- 1.5, 18.7 +/- 3.7, 11.9 +/- 2.9, 1.20 +/- 0.11, 0.290 +/- 0.020, and those from the B at 3 h and 24 h were 659 +/- 41, 1394 +/- 120, 11.5 +/- 3.0, 17.4 +/- 4.0, 29.0 +/- 4.0, 18.9 +/- 4.0, 3.82 +/- 0.81, 0.870 +/- 0.090, the differences were significant between these groups (t = 18.59, 5.95, 14.87, 6.25, 6.06, 4.63, 10.23, 18.67, all P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of IL-4 in the culture supernatant of T lymphocytes and GATA-3 mRNA in T lymphocytes from the A at 3 h and 24 h were 65 +/- 6, 96 +/- 9, 16.4 +/- 4.2, 41 +/- 6, and those from the B at 3 h and 24 h were 57 +/- 5, 83 +/- 7, 7.8 +/- 2.2, 23 +/- 4, the differences were significant between these groups (t = 3.19, 3.90, 5.77, 7.76, all P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IFN-gamma/IL-4 in the culture supernatant of T lymphocytes from the A and B at 3 h were 357 +/- 31, 65 +/- 6, 5.5 +/- 1.0, 659 +/- 41, 57 +/- 5, 11.5 +/- 3.0, and those from the A and B at 24 h were 783 +/- 47, 96 +/- 9, 8.4 +/- 1.5, 1394 +/- 120, 83 +/- 7, 17.4 +/- 4.0, The differences were significant between these groups (t = 23.8, 9.48, 5.03, 18.21, 9.01, 3.53, all P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of T-bet mRNA and T-bet mRNA/GATA-3 mRNA in T lymphocytes from the A and B at 3 h were 18.7 +/- 3.7, 1.20 +/- 0.11, 29.0 +/- 4.0, 3.82 +/- 0.81, and those from the A and B at 24 h were 11.9 +/- 2.9, 0.290 +/- 0.020, 18.9 +/- 4.0, 0.870 +/- 0.090, the differences were significant between these groups (t = 4.62, 5.66, 29.67, 11.5, all P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of GATA-3 mRNA in T lymphocytes from the A and B at 3 h were 16.4 +/- 4.2, 7.8 +/- 2.2, it was lower than those from the A and B at 24 h (41 +/- 6, 23 +/- 4, t = 10.70, 10.11, all P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of T-bet mRNA from the A showed a positive correlation with the level of IFN-gamma (r = 0.581, P < 0.05), and a negative correlation with the level of IL-4 (r = -0.493, P < 0.05); The levels of GATA-3 mRNA from the A showed a negative correlation with the level of IFN-gamma (r = -0.501, P < 0.05), and a positive correlation with the level of IL-4 (r = 0.579, P < 0.05); The ratio of T-bet mRNA to GATA-3 mRNA from the A showed a positive correlation with the ratio of IFN-gamma to IL-4 (r = 0.696, P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Rosiglitazone could regulate the balance of IFN-gamma and IL-4 through effect on the expression of T-bet mRNA and GATA-3 mRNA.