Abstract
Leukotrienes are pro-inflammatory lipid mediators, which are important in asthma leading to its characteristic features of airway bronchoconstriction, wheezing, increased mucus secretion and decreased mucociliary clearance. Aging results in changes in immune function and we have previously demonstrated age-related differences in levels of neutrophil elastase, MMP-9, and IL-8 in asthma subjects. We sought to determine whether leukotriene levels differed between young and older asthmatics.
Highlights
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lower airway that results in mucus secretion, airway edema and reversible airway obstruction [1]
Both forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were significantly lower in the older group compared to the young subjects, which is consistent with lung volume decreases in the aging population [17]
Since granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) can stimulate leukotriene production by neutrophils and eosinophils[11] and changes in GM-CSF mediated signaling have been shown to occur in elderly human subjects in vitro[19,20], we examined GM-CSF production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the older and young asthma subjects
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lower airway that results in mucus secretion, airway edema and reversible airway obstruction [1]. These characteristic features lead to the clinical symptoms of asthma, which include recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing [2]. An increase in morbidity and mortality and a reduced response to bronchodilators in the emergency department setting have been shown in older asthmatics compared to their younger counterparts [4,5,6,7]. Asthmatics have a higher rate of severe exacerbations, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations than younger asthmatics [8,9]
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