Correlation of OX40 ligand on B cells with serum total IgE and IL-4 levels by CD4+ T cells in allergic rhinitis

Introduction and objectives

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a classic Th2-mediated disease, with important contributions to the pathology of interleukins 4, 5, and 13. The co-stimulatory molecule of OX40 and its ligand interaction participate in the immune response by regulation of Th1/Th2 cells balance. Considering the paucity of information on the relation between OX40 ligand (OX40L) and AR, this study aimed to examine its expression on B lymphocytes.

Patients and methods

This case–control study consisted of 20 AR patients and 20 healthy subjects. The serum level of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) was measured using the electro-chemiluminescence (ECL) technology. The percentage of B-lymphocytes expressing OX40L was assessed by flow cytometry. The amounts of IL-4 in CD4⁺ T cells culture supernatant was also measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

OX40L expression on B lymphocytes of patients was significantly higher than the control group (44.32 ± 19.21% vs. 2.79 ± 2.48% respectively, p < 0.001). In AR patients, OX40L expression correlated positively with the levels of serum total IgE and IL-4 produced by CD4⁺ T lymphocytes (p < 0.01 – p < 0.05) respectively.

Conclusions

Collectively, the findings of this work suggest that there is a relationship between the OX40L expression level on B lymphocytes and allergic markers such as IgE and IL-4 in patients with allergic rhinitis.