LACK OF TGF-ALPHA AND TGF-BETA-1 SYNTHESIS BY HUMAN EOSINOPHILS IN CHRONIC ORAL ULCERS

We recently demonstrated that eosinophils infiltrate prominently into cutaneous wounds in the Syrian hamster and represent a source of trans forming growth factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta. In th is study, we assessed the role of the eosinophil and eosinophil-derive d transforming growth factors in human oral ulcers that exhibit delaye d healing, descriptively termed traumatic ulcerative granuloma with st romal eosinophilia. Our aim was to determine whether eosinophils, whic h characteristically infiltrate traumatic ulcerative granuloma with st romal eosinophilia lesions, produced transforming growth factor-alpha or transforming growth factor-beta. Twelve cases of traumatic ulcerati ve granuloma with stromal eosinophilia were examined for transforming growth factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta mRNA and cellu lar protein by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Eosinop hils in 92% of the cases did not express detectable cellular levels of mRNA for either of the transforming growth factors. In addition, only a small percentage of the many eosinophils infiltrating these lesions produced transforming growth factor-alpha or transforming growth fact or-beta. The lack of significant synthesis of transforming growth fact ors by eosinophils in most of the cases of traumatic ulcerative granul oma with stromal eosinophilia is in striking contrast to the expressio n of transforming growth factors by the eosinophils that infiltrate th e animal wound-healing model. Our findings may help to explain the del ayed healing that is typical of TUGSE lesions.