HETEROGENEOUS CHEMOTACTIC RESPONSE OF EOSINOPHILS FROM PATIENTS WITH ATOPIC-DERMATITIS TO EOSINOPHIL CHEMOTACTIC FACTORS

The chemotactic response of eosinophils from 16 patients with atopic d ermatitis (AD) to 5 eosinophil chemotactic factors (ECFs) were examine d to clarify whether the response is associated with the clinical seve rity of AD. The factors included ECF-PI5, -PI6, -PI7, -PI8 and -PI9 an d were derived from a T cell line, STO-2. The patients were divided in to 2 groups according to the percentage migration of eosinophils produ ced by the ECFs: a high-responding group (migration > 40%), and a low- responding group (migration < 30%). In a statistical analysis, eosinop hils from patients with AD and atopic respiratory diseases (ARD) were found to be high-responding and those from patients with AD alone low- responding (p < 0.01). In a comparison of the chemotactic response of eosinophils from patients with AD alone at remission and at exacerbati on, the percentage migrations in response to ECF-PI5 and ECF-PI6 at ex acerbation were significantly higher than that at remission (p < 0.05) . It is thus suggested that this type of heterogeneous response of eos inophils to STO-2-derived ECFs could provide a useful tool for evaluat ion of disease severity in patients with AD.