Topic
Basopenia
About: Basopenia is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 12 publications have been published within this topic receiving 437 citations. The topic is also known as: basocytopenia.
Papers
TL;DR: Diurnal variation of basophil numbers in patients with chronic ordinary urticaria in relation to disease activity and the effect of treatment with antihistamines and corticosteroids is looked at and numbers of other circulating leucocytes that might be relevant toUrticaria pathogenesis are looked at.
Abstract: Summary
Background The basopenia of chronic urticaria relates to histamine releasing autoantibodies in the serum of patients with autoimmune urticaria. This reduction in circulating basophils may be due to active recruitment into weals. If so, it might be expected that numbers in blood would be reduced when urticaria is active and increased after treatment. The primary aim of this study was to look at diurnal variation of basophil numbers in patients with chronic ordinary urticaria (not physical or vasculitic) in relation to disease activity and the effect of treatment with antihistamines and corticosteroids, and to compare the results with healthy controls. A secondary aim was to compare a standard manual counting method with automated basophil counts and to look at numbers of other circulating leucocytes that might be relevant to urticaria pathogenesis.
Methods Manual basophil counts using a toluidine blue stain and automated 5-part differentials (Coulter® Gen. S™) were performed at 4-hourly intervals from 08.00 to 20.00 in 10 healthy controls (six women, age 24 to 63 years) and seven chronic urticaria patients (five women, 24 to 50 years). All chronic urticaria patients had severe daily or almost daily urticaria. Only one of six chronic urticaria sera showed in vitro basophil histamine releasing activity. Counts were performed without treatment, after a week of taking loratadine 10 mg daily and after 3 days of adding prednisolone at 0.6 mg/kg/day (maximum 40 mg). Daily urticarial activity scores (UAS) were derived from weal numbers and itch, maximum 7.
Results There was no significant overall diurnal variation of basophil numbers in healthy controls or chronic urticaria patients. Mean (SE) manually counted basophil were higher in healthy controls than chronic urticaria (43.4/µL (2.1) vs. 4.4 (0.8), P < 0.001). Basophil counts were reduced in healthy controls on steroids (19.2 (1.9), P < 0.001) but increased in chronic urticaria (8.9 (1.9), P < 0.001). Loratadine did not influence them. UAS fell on treatment (3.3 (0.4) baseline, 1.4 (0.5) on loratadine and 0.5 (0.2) on prednisolone with loratadine, P < 0.001). There was a negative linear correlation between basophil numbers and UAS in untreated chronic urticaria patients (P = 0.001, Spearman rank correlation). Manual and automated basophil counts showed poor agreement. Lymphocyte numbers were lower in chronic urticaria than healthy controls. Neutrophils increased whereas lymphocytes and eosinophils decreased in all subjects on prednisolone. They were unaffected by loratadine.
Conclusion The results are consistent with the hypothesis that circulating basophils may be recruited from blood into urticarial weals during disease activity. Automated counts are not suitable for assessing basophil numbers in chronic urticaria. The relevance of reduced lymphocyte numbers in chronic urticaria needs to be explored.
170 citations
TL;DR: Basophils and mast cells are the main target cells in chronic idiopathic urticaria and intrinsic defects of the anti‐IgE cross‐linking signalling pathway of basophils have been described in CIU.
Abstract: Summary
Background Basophils and mast cells are the main target cells in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Besides the basopenia, intrinsic defects of the anti-IgE cross-linking signalling pathway of basophils have been described in CIU.
Objectives We sought to investigate the profile of expression of activation markers on basophils of patients with CIU and to explore the effect of interleukin (IL)-3 priming upon anti-IgE cross-linking stimuli through expression of activation markers and basophil histamine releasability.
Methods Evaluation of the surface expression of FceRIα, CD63, CD203c and CD123 on whole blood basophils of patients with CIU undergoing autologous serum skin test (ASST) was performed by flow cytometry. The effect of pretreatment with IL-3 in the anti-IgE response was analysed by the expression of basophil activation markers and histamine release using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results Blood basophils of patients with CIU were reduced in number and displayed increased surface expression of FceRIα, which was positively correlated with the IgE serum levels. Upregulation of expression of both surface markers CD203c and CD63 was verified on basophils of patients with CIU, regardless of ASST response. High expression of IL-3 receptor on basophils was detected only in ASST+ patients with CIU. Pretreatment with IL-3 upregulated CD203c expression concomitantly with the excreting function of blood basophils and induced a quick hyper-responsiveness to anti-IgE cross-linking on basophils of patients with CIU compared with healthy controls.
Conclusions Basophils of patients with CIU showed an activated profile, possibly due to an in vivo priming. Functionally, basophils have high responsiveness to IL-3 stimulation, thereby suggesting that defects in the signal transduction pathway after IgE cross-linking stimuli are recoverable in subjects with chronic urticaria.
88 citations
TL;DR: Background and Objective Peripheral blood basophils are reduced in some chronic urticaria patients when counted with granule stains and the relationship between basophil numbers in vivo and serum histamine releasing activity has not been studied.
Abstract: Summary
Background and Objective Peripheral blood basophils are reduced in some chronic urticaria patients when counted with granule stains. Approximately 30% of patients with severe chronic urticaria have functional autoantibodies which release histamine from healthy donor basophils in vitro but the relationship between basophil numbers in vivo and serum histamine releasing activity has not been studied.
Objective To determine the relationship between basophil numbers and serum basophil histamine releasing activity and to assess whether basophils are present, but undetectable, in peripheral blood with granule stains by using a new Row cytometric method based on surface immunophenotype.
Methods Basophils were counted manually by a chamber method using a granule stain and by flow cytometry using dual staining with anti-IgE and anti-FceRI in 25 chronic idiopathic urticaria patients and 25 healthy controls. Serum histamine releasing activity was assessed on healthy donor basophils in vitro and by the weal response to autologous serum skin testing in vivo (patients only).
Results Basophils were significantly reduced in chronic urticaria by manual counting and How cytometry. A subgroup of seven patients with in vitro histamine releasing activity showed a marked reduction or absence of basophils by both methods. There were no obvious distinguishing clinical characteristics between these patients and the others; six of them showed positive autologous serum skin-test responses. On comparing the two methods, the manual basophil counts were generally lower than flow cytometric counts. Agreement over the full range of values was not strong and therefore counts obtained by the two methods are not directly interchangeable.
Conclusions Basopenia in chronic idiopathic urticaria is associated with serum basophil bistamine releasing activity in a subgroup of patients. The lack of granule and surface immunophenotype staining suggests a reduction in numbers rather than an inability to detect circulating degranulated cells by conventional counting methods.
85 citations
TL;DR: The occurrence of autoantibodies against IgE or its receptor, FcεRI, and the therapeutic efficacy of anti‐IgE antibodies imply that IgE‐mediated mechanisms also play an important role in CU.
Abstract: Background
Chronic urticaria (CU) is a frequent skin disease characterized by relapsing appearance of pruritic hives. While clinical symptoms are due to the release of histamine by cutaneous mast cells, the underlying pathophysiology is still unknown. However, previous studies indicate that basophils might be of relevance. Besides, the occurrence of autoantibodies against IgE or its receptor, FceRI, and the therapeutic efficacy of anti-IgE antibodies imply that IgE-mediated mechanisms also play an important role in CU.
Methods
Reactivity of CU patients’ peripheral blood basophils (n=60) to specific anti-FceRI and IgE-independent fMLP stimulation was determined by basophil activation test in comparison to patients suffering from IgE-mediated allergic rhinitis (n=10) and healthy controls (n=10). In addition, immunoglobulin receptor (FceRI, FcγRII) expression and surface bound antibodies (IgE, IgG) were quantified on basophils. Furthermore, the autoreactive capacity of CU sera was evaluated and urticaria-related symptoms were assessed by both UCT and CU-Q2oL.
Results
Stimulating CU patients’ basophils via FceRI, we identified three distinct immunological phenotypes. One subgroup of patients' basophils reacted to FceRI stimulation, whereas the others had anti-FceRI non-reactive basophils. Among the latter a subgroup with pronounced basopenia was identified. Of note, this group was characterized by augmented serum-induced basophil activation, increased levels of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase and also exhibited the strongest disease impact on their quality of life.
Conclusions
CU patients can be categorized into three immunological subgroups based on their basophil reactivity and frequency. These phenotypes are associated with different clinical characteristics, pointing to basophils as important players in CU pathophysiology.
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50 citations
TL;DR: There is evidence of release of histamine and of heparin-like substances in urticaria, and these compounds might directly or indirectly influence the basophils, for example, via adrenal stimulation.
Abstract: Changes according to any of these alternatives could be due to the agent causing the urticaria, or to substances formed or released in the whealing tissue. There is evidence of release of histamine and of heparin-like substances in urticaria {Nilzen 1947; Adam, Hunter & Kinnear 1950; Asboe-IIanscn 1950 and 195 I ) , and these compounds might directly or indirectly influence the basophils, for example, via adrenal stimulation.
33 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |