Cytokine priming of eosinophils in bronchial asthma

ABSTRACT

To investigate the degree of eosinophil activation in the airway of children with bronchial asthma, granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor [GM-CSF] and eosinophil cationic protein [ECP] from sputum extracts obtained from 33 asthmatic children during acute attacks and in remission were detected. The chronicity of asthma ranged from 4 to 14 years [mean +/- SD = 8.97 +/- 3.65 years]. In addition, 20 age and sex matched healthy children were enrolled in the study to serve as a control group. After complete history taking and clinical assessment of the severity of asthma, sputum and peripheral blood samples were obtained from all subjects for determining the concentrations of sputum and blood eosinophil%, sputum and serum GM- CSF by enzyme immunoassay [EIA], serum IL-3 by EIA and sputum ECP by radioimmunoassay [RIA]. These findings suggested that continuous priming of eosinophils occurs in asthmatic children regardless of the severity or quiescence of asthma. This activation can be simply detected by sputum analysis for GM-CSF and ECP; both should be considered as useful markers for the evaluation of the efficacy and response to therapy in asthmatic children