Interleukin 13 receptors as biochemical markers in atopic patients

Background: interleukin (il) 13,a type 2 helper t cell (th2),is an important regulator of inflammatory immune responses. it mediates its action through a receptor complex consisting of il-13rα1 and il-4rα. il-13rα2 binds il-13 with high affinity and is thought to act primarily as a decoy receptor,sequestering il-13 and thus inhibiting its action. our aim was to clarify the role of these receptors in the diagnosis and follow-up of atopic patients. methods: we genotyped the 1398a>g polymorphism in the il-13rα1 gene using restriction fragment length polymorphism for causal genetic diversity and measured serum levels of il-13rα2 in 105 atopic patients suffering from atopic asthma,atopic dermatitis,and atopic rhinitis (35 each). we compared the results with those of 35 nonatopic control individuals. total immunoglobulin (ig) e and serum il-13rα2 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the eosinophil counts were recorded. results: a significant increase in serum il-13rα2 levels was recorded in the 3 atopic groups compared with the control group (p<.001),as well as a significant increase in total ige levels and eosinophil counts. no significant association was found between 1398a>g and atopy other than a suggestive association between this polymorphism and raised total serum ige levels in all 3 atopic groups (p<.001). conclusions: these findings indicate that il-13rα2 plays an important role in atopy and that increased levels in different groups highlight its regulatory role in the development of atopic symptoms. the 1398a>g polymorphism might be involved in the production of ige. © 2011 esmon publicidad.