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Updated: Oct 3, 2026
Methodology for Sputum Induction and Laboratory Processing
Published on: December 17, 2017
[Detection and significance of interleukin-16 in sputa from patients with bronchial asthma]
1Department of Internal Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 520021.
Objective:
To explore the significance of in the terleukin-16 (IL-16) in pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.
Methods:
Induced sputum samples were obtained from 12 allergic asthmatics, 8 non-allergic asthmatics, 10 non-asthma allergic and 10 non-asthma non-allergic normal subjects. ELISA was used to determine the concentrations of IL-16 in sputum, and CD4+ T cells and activated eosinophils (EG2 cells) in sputum were detected by immunostaining.
Results:
IL-16 levels in both allergic and non-allergic asthmatics were much higher than those in non-asthma allergic or non-asthma non-allergic normal subjects. Effective anti-asthma treatment led to a significant decrease in IL-16 levels in patients with acute asthma. It was also found that the percentages of CD4+ and EG2 cells were all positively correlated to IL-16 levels.
Conclusions:
IL-16 is involved in the asthmatic process by recruiting CD4+ T cells and thus plays an important role in CD4+ cell-dependent eosinophilic inflammation in asthmatic airways.
