Role of dendritic cells and Th2 lymphocytes in asthma: Lessons from eosinophilic airway inflammation in the mouse

Asthma is a chronic disorder of the airways characterized by variable airwa y narrowing, mucus hypersecretion, and infiltration of the airway wall with eosinophils. It is now believed that asthma is controlled by Th2 lymphocyt es producing cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-13. Animal models o f eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyperreactivity have been dev eloped to study the contribution of cells or mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma. In this review, we discuss the role of antigen presenting cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, NK cells, and mast cells in th e induction and maintenance of eosinophilic airway inflammation, mucus hype rsecretion, and airway hyperreactivity. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.