Reversible and irreversible airway inflammation and fibrosis in mice exposed to inhaled ovalbumin

Objective and design: We examined the reversibility of several changes in the lungs and airways of mice immediately after exposure to ovalbumin aerosol and after a period of recovery breathing clean air.Methods: Mice were exposed for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 weeks, with recovery in clean air for 1–3 weeks.Results: Airway collagen content, exhaled NO, airway mucous cell hyperplasia, and lung lavage inflammatory cell content increased upon exposure to ovalbumin aerosol. All parameters except airway fibrosis decreased partially or completely to control values with recovery in clean air.Conclusions: Airway mucous cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia appear to be completely reversible after recovery in clean air, while exhaled NO and airway inflammation appear to be mostly reversible, except for persistence of lymphocytes in the lung lavage fluid. Airway fibrosis appears to be reversible when mice are exposed to ovalbumin aerosol for periods of up to 4 weeks of exposure, but becomes irreversible after 6 or more weeks of exposure.Received 30 June 2004; returned for revision 24 September 2004; accepted by J. S. Skotnicki 13 October 2004     

Abnormal nucleotide pattern in the eosinophils of a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia associated with eosinophilia

In this article we present a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) associated with eosinophilia, in which the eosinophilia preceded a meningeal and bone-marrow relapse of ALL. We analysed the purine and pyrimidine nucleotide content of the eosinophils (92% pure) and compared the nucleotide pattern with that of eosinophils from healthy donors and from patients with eosinophilia not associated with leukemia. The ratios of purine : pyrimidine and of uracil :cytosine nucleotides were decreased compared with those in eosinophils from healthy donors and from patients with eosinophilia with other aetiologies. The total nucleotide concentration was increased, especially the concentration of UDP-sugars and pyrimidine nucleotides.

The decrease in these ratios and the increase in concentration of the nucleotides and the UDPsugars were also detected in leukemic cells of patients with ALL (de Korte et al., Leukemia Res. 10, 389–396 (1986)) compared to normal lymphocytes. We suggest a malignant character of the eosinophils in our patient with ALL associated with eosinophilia, in contrast with the nonmalignant state suggested previously for these cells.     

IL-5 is essential for vaccine-induced protection and for resolution of primary infection in murine filariasis

The pathways conferring immunity to human filariases are not well known, in part because human-pathogenic filariae do not complete a full life cycle in laboratory mice. We have used the only fully permissive infection of mice with filariae, i.e., infection of BALB/c mice with the rodent filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis. Our previous results showed that worm development is inversely correlated with Th2 cytokine production and eosinophilia. The scope of the present study was to directly elucidate the role of interleukin-5 (IL-5) and eosinophils in controlling the development of L. sigmodontis after vaccination and in primary infection. BALB/c mice immunized with irradiated third-stage larvae (L3) were confirmed to have elevated IL-5 levels as well as high subcutaneous eosinophilia and to attack and reduce incoming larvae within the first 2 days, resulting in 70% reduction of worm load. Treatment of vaccinated mice with anti-IL-5 antibody (TRFK-5) suppressed both blood and tissue eosinophilia and completely abolished protection. This demonstrates, for the first time in a fully permissive filarial infection, that IL-5 is essential for protection induced by irradiated L3 larvae. In contrast, in primary-infected mice, anti-IL-5 treatment did not modify filarial infection within the 1st month, most likely because during primary infection IL-5-dependent mechanisms such as subcutaneous eosinophilia are induced too late to disturb worm establishment. However, there is a role for IL-5 late in primary infection where neutrophil-dependent worm encapsulation is also under the control of IL-5. Received: 30 March 2000     

冬春季儿童、婴幼儿哮喘急性发作的呼吸道病毒病原学特征及临床研究

目的 了解北京地区冬春季儿童、婴幼儿哮喘急性发作时的呼吸道常见病毒——呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）、流感病毒（IFA1、IFA3、IFB）、副流感病毒（PIF1、PIF3）、腺病毒（ADV）的感染情况及与临床症状和嗜酸细胞的关系。方法 对2000年11月至2001年3月及2001年11月至2002年3月，来首都儿科研究所哮喘中心就诊的哮喘急性发作的患儿176名，采用病毒分离及间接免疫荧光法，对鼻咽分泌物（nasopharyngeal secretions，NPS）中七种病毒抗原进行监测，并同时记录临床症状和用药情况及进行鼻咽分泌物和外周血中嗜酸细胞计数。结果 176例哮喘急性发作患儿NPS中，79例检测出病毒，阳性率为44．9％。其中RSV 66例，感染率为37．5％、IF7例（4．0％）、ADV6例（3．4％）及PIF4例（2．3％）。RSV占79例病毒感染患儿的83．5％；4例患儿同时测定出RSV和其他病毒混合感染。这些病毒在哮喘急性发作的患儿中检出率与年龄呈反比，小年龄组的患儿病毒感染多；检出病毒的患儿病情重，伴发热的患儿显著多于未检查出病毒的患儿。病毒感染与非感染组的NPS中嗜酸细胞数目检测无明显差别；但血中嗜酸细胞的数目，病毒检出阳性的患儿，较病毒测定阴性的患儿明显减少（t=2．676，P〈0．001）。结论 北京地区冬季近半数哮喘急性发作的患儿呼吸道病毒检测阳性，其中RSV是婴幼儿哮喘发作的主要感染病毒，引起较严重的临床症状；病毒检出阳性的患儿，血中嗜酸细胞的数目明显减少。     

炎症细胞与淋巴细胞在鼻息肉发病机理中的相关性研究

目的：探讨炎症细胞、淋巴细胞及浆细胞在鼻息肉发病中的作用;方法：采用免疫组化SP法及HE、甲苯胺兰染色对34例鼻息肉和30例正常中鼻甲粘膜进行研究;结果：鼻息肉中嗜酸性粒细胞阳性率显著高于对照组织（P＜0.01）;鼻息肉中肥大细胞数量显著多于对照组织（P＜0.01）,肥大细胞数量在吸入性变应原皮肤试验阳性组与阴性组间无显著性差异;鼻息肉中T淋巴细胞阳性细胞（CD43）和B淋巴细胞阳性细胞（CD20）、浆细胞数量显著多于对照组织（P＜0.01）,鼻息肉中T淋巴细胞与B淋巴细胞之间无显著性差异;结论：鼻息肉中存在活跃的细胞免疫和体液免疫,与嗜酸性粒细胞、肥大细胞及中性粒细胞共同参与鼻息肉的发病。     

Antigen-specific production of interleukin (IL)-13 and IL-5 cooperate to mediate IL-4Ralpha-independent airway hyperreactivity

The pathogenesis of human asthma and the development of key features of pulmonary allergy in mouse models has been critically linked to IL-13. Analyses of the receptor components employed by IL-13 have shown that delivery of this cytokine to the airways of naive IL-4Ralpha gene targeted (IL-4Ralpha(-/-)) mice fails to induce disease, suggesting that this membrane protein is critical for transducing IL-13-mediated responses. The current study demonstrates that, in contrast to naive mice, T helper 2 bias, airways hyperreactivity (AHR) and tissue eosinophilia develop in Ovalbumin-sensitized IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice and that these responses can be inhibited by the IL-13 antagonist sIL-13Ralpha2Fc. Therefore, antigen stimulation induces an IL-13-regulated response that is independent of IL-4Ralpha. To determine the role of IL-5 and eosinophils in the development of disease in antigen-exposed IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice, pulmonary allergy was examined in mice deficient in both factors. IL-4Ralpha/IL-5(-/-) mice were significantly defective in their ability to produce IL-13 and failed to develop AHR, suggesting that IL-5 indirectly regulates AHR in allergic IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice by an IL-13-dependent mechanism. Collectively, these results demonstrate that IL-13-dependent processes regulating the development of AHR and T helper bias persist in the in the lungs of allergic IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice.     

嗜酸性粒细胞在小鼠体内的抗原呈递过程

目的探讨嗜酸性粒细胞(EOS)在体内能否将抗原呈递给T淋巴细胞,了解EOS在体内呈递抗原的过程和特征.方法以鸡卵清蛋白致敏和雾化吸入刺激BALB/c小鼠以诱发EOS在气道聚集.收集并纯化气道EOS以荧光素标记后注入小鼠气道,应用荧光显微镜观察EOS的移行过程.将接受气管EOS注入小鼠的气管旁淋巴结取出后制备单细胞悬液,以流式细胞仪检测其中T细胞的增殖反应并鉴定增殖T细胞的亚群.结果荧光标记的EOS注入正常鼠气道后8h即可出现于气管旁淋巴结(19.0个/mm2±1.8个/mm2),24h达高峰(59.2个/mm2±7.2个/mm2),并至少可以维持120h(29.6个/mm2±2.8个/mm2).致敏小鼠气管内注入5×105个接触过抗原的EOS1d后气管旁淋巴结增殖的T细胞百分数(6.9%±0.5%)即明显高于基础对照值(3.2%±0.3%,P<0.01),3d后达到峰值(10.8%±0.8%,P<0.01),7d以后下降(6.1%±0.6%,P<0.05).此外,EOS呈递抗原所引起的T细胞增殖反应具抗原特异性,出现增殖反应的T细胞仅限于CD4+细胞.结论气道EOS在体内可成为抗原呈递细胞,从而促使CD4细胞出现显著的增殖反应.     

局部注射平阳霉素治疗鼻息肉病的机制探讨

目的:探讨平阳霉素治疗鼻息肉病的作用机制。方法:对19例经平阳霉素局部注射治疗前后的鼻息肉组织进行免疫组化染色,检测转化生长因子-β1(transforming growth factor beta,TGF-β1)的表达;采用原位杂交法(TUNEL法)检测凋亡细胞。结果:嗜酸性粒细胞凋亡指数治疗前为(20.53±7.66)%,治疗后为(44.47±8.97)%,治疗前后差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);治疗后嗜酸性粒细胞的TGF-β1阳性表达率为(74.74±5.22)%低于治疗前的(85.18±8.07)%,治疗后TGF-β1在鼻息肉组织基质中的表达低于治疗前,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:平阳霉素可通过促进嗜酸性粒细胞凋亡及减少TGF-β1在嗜酸性粒细胞和基质中的表达治疗鼻息肉病。     

Gastric eosinophils are detrimental for Helicobacter pylori vaccine efficacy

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) colonizes the human gastric mucosa with a high worldwide prevalence. Currently, Hp can be eradicated by the use of antibiotics. Due to the increase of antibiotic resistance, new therapeutic strategies need to be devised: one such approach being prophylactic vaccination. Pre-clinical and clinical data showed that a urease-based vaccine is efficient in decreasing Hp infection through the mobilization of T helper (Th)-dependent immune effectors, including eosinophils. Preliminary data have shown that upon vaccination and subsequent Hp infection, eosinophils accumulate in the gastric mucosa, suggesting a possible implication of this granulocyte subset in the vaccine-induced reduction of Hp infection.In our study, we confirm that activated eosinophils, expressing CD63, CD40, MHCII and PD-L1 at their cell surface, infiltrate the gastric mucosa during vaccine-induced reduction of Hp infection. Strikingly, we provide evidence that bone marrow derived eosinophils efficiently kill Hp in vitro, suggesting that eosinophils may participate to the vaccine-induced reduction of Hp infection. However, conversely to our expectations, the absence of eosinophils does not decrease the efficacy of this Hp vaccine in vivo. Indeed, vaccinated mice that have been genetically ablated of the eosinophil lineage or that have received anti-Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin F eosinophil-depleting antibodies, display a lower Hp colonization when compared to their eosinophil sufficient counterparts. Although the vaccine induces similar urease-specific humoral and Th responses in both eosinophil sufficient and deficient mice, a decreased production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, TGFβ, and calgranulin B, was specifically observed in eosinophil depleted mice.Taken together, our results suggest that gastric eosinophils maintain an anti-inflammatory environment, thus sustaining chronic Hp infection. Because eosinophils are one of the main immune effectors mobilized by Th2 responses, our study strongly suggests that the formulation of an Hp vaccine needs to include an adjuvant that preferentially primes Hp-specific Th1/Th17 responses.