Granzymes (Gz) A and B are recently discovered mediators in asthma and other
inflammatory airway diseases and showed minimal suppression by corticosteroids Aim of the study: to
see if there is any difference in both granzymes in induced sputum samples between steroid sensitive and
steroid resistant asthmatics. Methods: Both granzymes were measured by ELISA assay in induced sputum
samples from 27 steroid sensitive (SS) and 18 steroid resistant (SR) asthmatics plus 15 normal controls.
Results: Gz A was significantly higher in SR than SS patients and controls (p0.05). Gz B was significantly higher in SR
patients than SS patients and controls (p0.05 for all).Significant negative correlations were found between both
granzymes and FEV1% predicted in both SS and SR groups (r=-0.85, r=-0.49for Gz A and r= -0.87, r= -
0.7 for Gz B respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between the two granzymes in
both patient groups (r=0.93 and 0.63 for SS and SR patients respectively). Conclusion: Granzymes A and
B are released in the airways of asthmatic patients and could have an important role in asthmatic airway
inflammation especially in steroid resistant cases and might play a role in this resistance.