Abstract
Background: IL-26 is an IL-10 family cytokine with pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. In a pilot study, sputum IL-26 concentrations correlated with worsening asthma severity amongst subjects with non-allergic asthma.
Objective: To determine whether systemic IL-26 concentrations are increased in children sensitized to dog allergen in vivo and whether it correlates with markers of asthma severity and with the Th17 cytokine, IL-17A.
Methods: Serum was obtained from a cohort of dog allergen-sensitized children (n = 60), with non-sensitized children (n = 17) as control subjects. Self-reported clinical history, including medication use and validated symptom-based questionnaire scores, was recorded. IL-26 and IL-17A concentrations were measured by ELISA.
Results: Serum IL-26 and IL-17A concentrations were elevated in allergen-sensitized subjects, and IL-26 correlated positively with IL-17A. IL-26 concentrations did not differ significantly between allergen-sensitized subjects with and without asthma or eczema. However, IL-26 correlated positively with increasing Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores and negatively with inhaled corticosteroid dose amongst subjects with asthma. Moreover, subjects with asthma requiring ≥1 course of oral corticosteroids in the preceding 12 months demonstrated a decline in systemic IL-26 concentrations.
Conclusion: Systemic IL-26 and IL-17A concentrations are increased in allergen-sensitized individuals compared to those without allergic sensitization, and systemic IL-26 may reflect a non-specific atopic state. Amongst asthmatic children, IL-26 correlates with improved asthma control, suggesting that systemic IL-26 may be associated with a protective effect in asthma.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2018 52: Suppl. 62, PA1376.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2018