Sura Alsaffar - Department of Biology, College of Science, Baghdad University, Iraq.
Haider Ghazi - Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Iraq.
Jabbar Yenzeel - Department of Biology, College of Science, Baghdad University, Iraq.

Asthmatic patients usually treated with corticosteroids (CSs) as a preferred anti-inflammatory therapy and its response may be varied under the control of theophylline protein FKBP51 and glucocorticoid receptor.ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the association of FKBP51 (nuclear/cytoplasmic) ratio with IL5, IgE, ACTH, serum cortisol and complete blood counts of corticosteroid free and corticosteroid treated asthmatic patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 64 diagnosed asthmatic patients underwent corticosteroid treatment (n=47) and corticosteroid free (n=17) patients. Peripheral blood leucocytes were. Separated by standard ficoll method, smeared and stained with FKBP51, and glucocorticosteroid receptor by immunocytochemistry method. Serum also was separated and used for measurements of IL5, IgE, ACTH and serum cortisol.ResultsWe found that the expression of FKBP51 (N/C) was increased in CSs treated patients (p=0.009). it was inversely correlated with serum IgE (r=-0.449, p=0.003), blood eosinophilia (r=-0.397, p=0.014) and positively correlated with asthma control test (r=0.413, p=0.004) among corticosteroid treated patients. While not among corticosteroid free patients.ConclusionThis study suggested that an increased nuclear expression of FKBP51 may associated with reduced eosinophilic inflammation and serum IgE level, and favorable asthma control test results

Asthma, FKBP51, Glucocorticosteroid, IgE