目的：观察反复扁桃体炎(RT)患儿缓解期辅助性T淋巴细胞(TH)亚群的功能状态及黄芪对RT患儿TH细胞亚群功能状态的影响。方法：对27例RT缓解期患儿的外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)体外分别经植物血凝素(PHA)和PHA+黄芪刺激(即RT-PHA组和RT-黄芪组),同时对21例健康儿童的PBMC体外经PHA刺激(即正常儿童PHA组),各组培养48h,用ELISA法检测培养上清液中TH类细胞因子IL-4和IFN-γ含量。结果：RT-PHA组IFN-γ水平与IFN-γ/IL-4比值显著低于正常儿童PHA组(P<0.01);RT-黄芪组IFN-γ水平及IFN-γ/IL-4比值虽然显著低于正常儿童PHA组(P<0.05),但也却显著高于RT-PHA组(P<0.01);各组间IL-4水平比较差异均无显著性(P>0.05)。结论：TH1亚群功能低下以及TH1/TH2平衡的紊乱在RT的发病中起重要作用;黄芪可显著提高RT患儿TH1亚群功能,改善RT患儿TH1/TH2功能失衡状态,对RT的治疗具有重要意义。

OBJECTIVE: To observe the TH cell subset function in children with recurrent tonsillitis (RT) at the remission stage and to study the effects of astragalus membranacus (AM) on TH cell subset function. METHODS: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 27 children with RT at the remission stage were stimulated with either phytohemagalutinin (PHA) (RT-PHA group) or PHA together with AM (RT-AM group) and were then cultured in vitro for 48 hrs. The samples from 21 healthy children stimulated with PHA were used as the Control group. The levels of interferon-γ(IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in the supernatants of PBMC were detected using ELISA. RESULTS: The IFN-γ level and the ratio of IFN-γ/ IL-4 in the RT-PHA group were statistically lower than those in the Control group (P<0.01). The level of IFN-γ and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 in the RT-AM group were markedly higher than those in the RT-PHA group (P< 0.01), but were significantly lower than those in the Control group (P<0.05). There were no differences in the IL-4 level among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: TH1 cell subset dysfunction may exit in RT children at the remission stage, suggesting that TH1 cell subset dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RT. AM can improve TH1 cell subset function and therefore shows an important significance in treating RT.