SURFACE-ANTIGENS ON EOSINOPHILS IN BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA AND EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA

Surface antigens on peripheral blood eosinophils from 23 patients with bronchial asthma, 6 with eosinophilic pneumonia and 8 controls were e xamined using a new direct method, Peripheral blood eosinophils in bro nchial asthma and eosinophilic pneumonia showed higher complexity and/ or granularity than those from controls. The percentage expression of HLA DR, CD4 and CD45RO on peripheral blood eosinophils from patients w ith bronchial asthma were increased compared with those from patients with eosinophilic pneumonia and from the controls. These results sugge st that peripheral blood eosinophils in bronchial asthma may play a ro le in immunoregulation via the expression of human leukocyte antigens, such as HLA-DR, CD4 and CD45RO, that interact with lymphocytes, and m ay function as antigen-presenting cells, Furthermore this study sugges ts that there may be different phenotypes of eosinophils with differin g surface antigens and intercellular reactions between eosinophils and lymphocytes.