Increased Neutrophil Chemotactic Activity in Exercise- and "Fog"-Induced Asthma |
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Authors: | G. Moscato C. Rampulla A. Dellabianca N. Dorigo U. Majani R. Corsico P. G. Sirtori |
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Affiliation: | Universitàdi Pavia, Scuola di Specializzazione in Allergologia (Director: Prof. F. Candura);Fondazione Clinica del Lavoro - Centre Medico di Pavia;Servizio di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, Fondazione Clinica del Lavoro, Centro Medico di Montescano, Italy |
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Abstract: | To investigate whether exercise- and ultrasonic "fog"-induced asthma are due to the same mechanism, i.e. mediator release induced by osmotic changes, we measured the serum neutrophil chemotactic activity before and after exercise and inhalation of "fog" in 15 asthmatic subjects. To assess changes in airway caliber we measured specific airway conductance (SGaw); to assess changes in neutrophil chemotactic activity we measured the maximum distance reached by neutrophils in a filter when challenged with the subject's serum in a Boyden chamber. In 10 subjects, SGaw decreased by more than 35% and neutrophil chemotactic activity increased significantly (P less than 0.05) both after exercise and "fog", whereas in five subjects no change occurred either after exercise or "fog". We conclude that both exercise- and "fog"-induced asthma are associated with increased serum neutrophil chemotactic activity, and that both stimuli may cause asthma by osmotically triggering mediator release from mast cells. |
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Keywords: | asthma hyperresponsiveness exercise challenge ultrasonic " fog" neutrophil chemotaxis |
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