Control of asthma by omalizumab: the role of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells.

Abstract : Allergic asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways, resulting from an inappropriate immune response to inhaled allergens, which involves multiple inflammatory cells and mediators that contribute to airway hyper-responsiveness. Omalizumab is a monoclonal antibody, specifically directed to the C-Epsilon3 domain of immunoglobulin E (IgE), indicated as an additional therapy in severe allergic asthma [1]. Impaired function of regulatory T cells (Treg) is incriminated in the aberrant asthma inflammatory response [2].