title: Functional activity of peripheral blood eosinophils in allergen-induced late-phase airway inflammation in asthma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate peripheral blood eosinophil chemotaxis, generation of spontaneous reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptosis in patients with allergic asthma after bronchial allergen challenge.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 18 patients with allergic asthma (AA), 14 with allergic rhinitis (AR), and 10 healthy subjects (HS) underwent bronchial challenge with a specific allergen extract. Eosinophils from peripheral blood were isolated 24 h before as well as 7 and 24 h after bronchial allergen challenge. Chemotaxis, spontaneous ROS production in eosinophils, and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Serum and induced sputum IL-5 levels were measured by ELISA; the cell count in sputum was analyzed by the May-Grünwald-Giemsa method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before bronchial allergen challenge, peripheral blood eosinophil chemotaxis, spontaneous ROS production was enhanced and eosinophil apoptosis was reduced in the patients with AA as compared with AR patients and HS (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, eosinophil chemotaxis and ROS generation markedly increased in the patients with AA 7 h and 24 h after challenge compared with other groups and baseline values (P < 0.05). The percentage of apoptotic eosinophils in the patients with AA decreased at 7 h as well as 24 h after challenge when compared with other groups and the baseline values (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the migrated peripheral blood eosinophil count and the sputum eosinophil count (Rs = 0.89, P < 0.0001) and the sputum IL-5 level (Rs = 0.68, P = 0.002) at 24 h after bronchial challenge only in the patients with AA. Furthermore, the percentage of peripheral blood apoptotic eosinophils significantly correlated with eosinophil count in sputum (Rs = -0.53, P = 0.02), and ROS production correlated with the serum IL-5 levels (Rs = 0.71, P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During allergen-induced late-phase airway inflammation, peripheral blood eosinophils demonstrated further alterations of their functional activity manifested by enhanced spontaneous ROS production, increased chemotaxis, and diminished apoptosis in patients with AA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuanian.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lavinskiene
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuanian.
authors.forename: Kestutis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malakauskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuanian.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeroch
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuanian.
authors.forename: Deimante
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoppenot
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuanian.
authors.forename: Raimundas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakalauskas
keywords: Airway inflammation; Allergic asthma; Apoptosis; Chemotaxis; Eosinophils; ROS
references.citation: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2014 Aug;113(2):137-42
references.pmid: 24986036
references.citation: Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2002 Jul;23(7):311-5
references.pmid: 12119151
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun;119(6):1303-10; quiz 1311-2
references.pmid: 17481712
references.citation: J Immunol. 1996 Aug 15;157(4):1806-12
references.pmid: 8759771
references.citation: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 May;155(5):1515-21
references.pmid: 9154851
references.citation: Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2001 Jun;1(3):248-53
references.pmid: 11712747
references.citation: BMC Pulm Med. 2008 Aug 12;8:13
references.pmid: 18700028
references.citation: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2006 Sep;35(3):378-86
references.pmid: 16601240
references.citation: Allergy. 2012 Jan;67(1):18-24
references.pmid: 22050279
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Nov;104(5):917-26
references.pmid: 10550733
references.citation: Blood. 2000 Mar 15;95(6):1911-7
references.pmid: 10706854
references.citation: J Exp Med. 1995 Oct 1;182(4):1169-74
references.pmid: 7561691
references.citation: Br J Haematol. 2000 Oct;111(1):61-7
references.pmid: 11091183
references.citation: Eur Respir J. 2003 Jun;21(6):925-31
references.pmid: 12797483
references.citation: Eur Respir J. 2005 Nov;26(5):948-68
references.pmid: 16264058
references.citation: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1998 Nov;19(5):747-57
references.pmid: 9806739
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Apr;103(4):563-73
references.pmid: 10200002
references.citation: Chem Immunol. 2000;78:93-111
references.pmid: 12847722
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000 Jul;106(1 Pt 1):77-83
references.pmid: 10887309
references.citation: Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2014 Jan;114(1):109-17
references.pmid: 24148899
references.citation: Am J Ind Med. 1998 Feb;33(2):114-22
references.pmid: 9438044
references.citation: J Immunol. 2002 Dec 1;169(11):6452-8
references.pmid: 12444154
references.citation: Eur Respir J. 1996 Apr;9(4):703-8
references.pmid: 8726934
references.citation: Eur Respir Rev. 2013 Sep 1;22(129):251-7
references.pmid: 23997052
references.citation: Allergy. 2008 Apr;63 Suppl 86:8-160
references.pmid: 18331513
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004 Jun;113(6):1152-60
references.pmid: 15208598
references.citation: Pharmacol Rev. 1999 Jun;51(2):213-340
references.pmid: 10353986
references.citation: Am Rev Respir Dis. 1990 Jul;142(1):120-5
references.pmid: 2164333
references.citation: Eur Respir J. 2003 Jan;21(1):177-86
references.pmid: 12570126
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1997;92 Suppl 2:75-91
references.pmid: 9698919
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1986 May;77(5):702-8
references.pmid: 3700895
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 1997 May;27(5):482-7
references.pmid: 9179421
references.citation: Free Radic Biol Med. 1990;9(3):235-43
references.pmid: 2272532