• Evaluation of gene expression of interleukin 25 (IL-25) in sputum of patients with persistent severe asthma
  • Mohammadreza Khakzad,1 Mohammadreza Pourmohammad,2 Jina Khayatzadeh,3,*
    1. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Islamic Azad University
    2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Islamic Azad University
    3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Islamic Azad University


  • Introduction: Severe persistent asthma as defined by the European Respiratory Society is an asthma that has been in the stage of 4 or 5 of asthma as defined by Gina over the past year, which requires treatment with high dose inhaled glucorticoids and long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) with anti-leukotriene or theophylline. Interleukin-25 (IL-25) is a proinflammatory cytokine which is mainly produced by T lymphocytes or their precursors. Some lymphocyte subgroups produce interleukin-25, which activates neutrophils. The aim of this study, considering the role of interleukin 25 (IL-25) in inflammation and airway deformity, was to evaluate the level of this gene expression in patients with severe persistent asthma and to compare the level of this gene expression with clinical symptoms and pulmonary tests in this group of patients
  • Methods: In this semi-empirical study, patients with persistent severe asthma completed conscious satisfaction and then, sputum was sampled with a nebulizer by using hypertonic saline (an expectorant compound) to measure the interleukin-25 (IL-25) gene expression level in sputum and sample cytology. Sputum sampling was performed in two groups of 31 patients with asthma and 31 healthy individuals.
  • Results: The results of this study indicated that there is no significant difference between asthma stage and the interleukin-25 gene expression level, but in the correlation coefficient of graphs, there was a significant relationship between asthma stage and gene expression. The data showed that by increasing the interleukin-25 gene expression level in Patients which have severe persistent asthma with shortness of breath (Dyspnea), there is no significant difference in all individuals, but about shortness of breath (Dyspnea) with the IL-25 gene expression level, by increasing the level of this gene expression, There is a significant increase in the average of results in group 3 compared to group 2. In addition, there is a significant difference between gender and the interleukin-25 gene expression level in comparing women and men. As well as, it was observed that by increasing the interleukin-25 gene expression level, the rate of coughsin patients increases as well. Surveys show that there is a significant correlation between the interleukin-25 gene expression level and pre FEV1.
  • Conclusion: It is recommended that other inflammatory cytokines affecting persistent severe asthma which may make the disease more difficult to control, be investigated.
  • Keywords: severe Persistent asthma, Real Time, Interleukin-25 (IL-25), Sputum