Granzymes (Gz) A and B are recently discovered mediators in asthma and other
inflammatory airway diseases and showed minimal suppression by corticosteroids Aim of the study: to
see if there is any difference in both granzymes in induced sputum samples between steroid sensitive and
steroid resistant asthmatics. Methods: Both granzymes were measured by EL1SA assay in induced sputum
samples from 27 steroid sensitive (SS) and 18 steroid resistant (SR) asthmatics plus 15 normal controls.
Results: Cr A was signcantly higher in SR than SS patients and controls (p<0.05), but was
insignificantb) different between SS patients and controls (p>0.05). Gz B was significantly higher in SR
patients than SS patients and controls (p<0.05). No significant difference was seen between males and
females of the studied groups (p >0.05 for all) Sign negative correlations were found between both
granzymes and FEV 1 % predicted in both SS and SR groups (r-4.85, r=-0.49for Cr A and r -0.87, r= -
0.7 for Gz B respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between the two granzymes in
both patient groups (r=0.93 and 0.63 for SS and SR patients respectively). Conclusion: Granzymes A and
B are released in the airways of asthmatic patients and could have an important role in asthmatic airway
inflammation especially in steroid resistant cases and might play a role in this resistance. |
