Hydrophobic probe's fluorescence intensity. 3-methoxybenzanthrone (3-MBA) in bronchial asthma and urticaria patients lymphocyte membranes.

The intensity of fluorescence (IF) of the 3-methoxybenzantrone (3-MBA) probe in blood lymphocyte membranes was determined in bronchial asthma and urticaria patients. A marked drop in IF was revealed during acute stages in the patients with atopic and infectious-allergic bronchial asthma and aspirin intolerance asthma. In the remission stage, the normalization or approach to normal IF levels takes place in these patients. In patients with allergic urticaria there are similar changes. In patients with pseudo-allergic urticaria an opposite type of change is observed a rise in IF in the aggravation stage and partial or full approach to standard in the remission stage. We concluded that changes in the average IF do not depend so much on changes in the ratio T- and B-lymphocytes as they do on the changes in the physical state of their membranes and that this physical state differs from each other in allergic and pseudo-allergic urticaria. The 3-MBA probe may be used for the differential diagnosis of allergic and pseudo-allergic urticaria.