title: Cytolysis of eosinophils in nasal secretions.
abstract: It is still unknown how eosinophils degranulate in nasal mucus. Currently, cytolysis is being reevaluated as the mode of degranulation of eosinophils in allergic nasal mucosa. To examine whether eosinophils migrating to the nasal mucus degranulate by cytolysis, we sampled nasal mucus from 9 patients with nasal allergy and observed it under electron and light microscopes. Both intact and necrotic eosinophils were observed in the nasal mucus. Although the total eosinophil count in the nasal mucus was not correlated with the frequency of sneezes, there was a significant correlation (p = .0025) between the rate of eosinophil lysis and the frequency of sneezes. Whereas extracellular release of eosinophil peroxidase was not detected from the eosinophils with intact cell membranes, large quantities of eosinophil peroxidase were found outside the eosinophils with injured cell membranes. We concluded that eosinophils migrating to the nasal mucus degranulate mainly by cytolysis, and that granular proteins released from the necrotic eosinophils into the nasal mucus are one of the important factors causing hypersensitivity in the nasal mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misu
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Edamatsu
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D047209:Eosinophil Peroxidase; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009093:Mucus / Q000166:cytology*; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D009336:Necrosis; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D011852:Radioallergosorbent Test; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012912:Sneezing / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D047209:Eosinophil Peroxidase; D010544:Peroxidases