Cj. Kim et al., EOSINOPHILS RECRUITED TO THE LUNG BY SEGMENTAL ANTIGEN CHALLENGE SHOWA REDUCED CHEMOTACTIC RESPONSE TO LEUKOTRIENE B-4, Prostaglandins, 47(5), 1994, pp. 393-403
Inflammatory cells, particularly eosinophils, are thought to be import
ant in allergic airways disease. However, the mechanisms responsible f
or their recruitment to the lung have not been well established in hum
ans, in vivo. In this report we demonstrate that eosinophils recruited
to the lung of ragweed allergic volunteers by segmental antigen chall
enge have a decreased chemotactic response to leukotriene (LT) B-4 ex
vivo, in comparison with eosinophils isolated from peripheral blood (8
0% inhibition at 10(-8) M LTB(4) the optimal concentration, p < 0.01).
Their chemotactic response to formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (
FMLP) was normal. Although the response to platelet activating factor
also appeared to be reduced this reduction was not statistically signi
ficant. These data suggest that lung eosinophils were exposed to LTB(4
) in vivo and are consistent with the hypothesis that LTB(4) is import
ant in the recruitment of eosinophils to the lung during IgE-mediated
reactions in the lung in humans.