Soluble Form of Fasl (sFasL) in Adult Asthma

Background: sFasL is the soluble form of FasL inducing apoptosis by binding to Fas. Fas/sFasL could be the most important mechanisms in inflammatory conditions such as asthma by controlling inflammatory responses. This study was undertaken to determine the level of sFasL in allergic and non- allergic asthmatic patients with different stages of asthma control. Methods: Twenty asthmatic patients were enrolled and divided into controlled and uncontrolled patient groups. They were divided into 4 subgroups including controlled/allergic, controlled/non-allergic, uncontrolled/allergic and uncontrolled/non-allergic subgroups. Five normal subjects were selected as a control group. From all subjects, 3 ml of blood was obtained and sFasL and IgE serum levels were evaluated by a specific ELISA kit. Results: sFasL in the controlled and uncontrolled patient groups did not have any significant difference; but in the uncontrolled/allergic subgroup, it was significantly lower than that in the control group and also higher in the uncontrolled/non-allergic subgroup insignificantly. Conclusion: In patients with acute inflammatory conditions, sFasL had an increasing effect to control inflammation observed in uncontrolled/non-allergic subgroup, but unexpectedly not in the uncontrolled/allergic subgroup. Probably in allergic patients, there are factors or mechanisms that inhibit sFasL production or expression.