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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Soluble interleukin-4 receptor in atopic children
Insights
Children with asthma and respiratory infections show lower soluble interleukin-4 receptor (sIL-4R) levels. This suggests inflammation, not atopy, influences sIL-4R in asthma. Cell-surface IL-4R may be regulated differently.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Allergy and Asthma Research
Background:
- Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) plays a role in allergic inflammation.
- Soluble IL-4R (sIL-4R) levels may indicate disease states.
- The relationship between sIL-4R, asthma, and atopy requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum sIL-4R levels in children with stable asthma, asthma with acute respiratory infection, and healthy controls with or without infection.
- To compare cell-surface huIL-4R expression on lymphocytes between asthmatic and healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of sIL-4R in peripheral blood from children with asthma and controls using ELISA.
- Analysis of huIL-4R expression on CD4+ T cells from cultured lymphocytes via flow cytometry.
- Comparison of sIL-4R levels in cord blood from newborns at high or low risk of atopy.
Main Results:
- Healthy controls had significantly higher sIL-4R levels than children with stable asthma, asthma with infection, or respiratory infection alone.
- No significant difference in sIL-4R was found in cord blood based on atopy risk.
- Asthmatic children exhibited higher cell-surface huIL-4R expression on CD4+ cells compared to healthy children.
Conclusions:
- Diminished plasma sIL-4R concentrations are associated with inflammatory states, not specifically atopy.
- Cell-surface huIL-4R expression on lymphocytes may be regulated independently of the soluble form.
- These findings suggest distinct regulatory mechanisms for soluble and cell-bound IL-4R in pediatric asthma.
Abstract:
The levels of natural soluble interleukin-4 receptor (shuIL-4R) were determined in the peripheral blood of 29 children with stable asthma, 10 children with asthma and acute respiratory infection, 11 healthy children with acute airway infection and 31 healthy controls. Healthy controls revealed the highest levels (median 1,082 pg/ml, range 524-1,900 pg/ml); which differed significantly from levels obtained with the blood of stable asthmatics (p < 0.01, median 658 pg/ml, range 329-1288 pg/ml), patients with asthma and acute respiratory infection (p < 0.01, median 663 pg/ml, range 0-1,250 pg/ml) and patients with respiratory infection alone (p < 0.01, median 674 pg/ml, range 466-1,110 pg/ml). In contrast, there was no significant difference in shuIL-4R content of cord blood obtained from newborns with a high or low risk of atopy. Additional analysis of interleukin-4 receptor (huIL-4R) on cultured lymphocytes from 13 stable asthmatic children and 14 healthy children indicated higher expression on CD4 cells (p < 0.05, median 2.2%, range 0.8-7.8%) compared to healthy controls (median 1.3%, range 0.7-3.3%). Therefore, diminished shuIL-4R concentrations in plasma may be related to inflammatory states but not specifically to atopy. The results support the notion that huIL-4R expressed on the cell surface may be regulated differently from the soluble form.
