The relevance of neutrophil chemotactic factors to allergic disease

Cytokine binding to CD4+ inflammatory cells: implications for asthma

While LCF is present in BAL early after antigen challenge, we know little about its other potential effects beyond CD4+ T cell, monocyte, and eosinophil chemotaxis and monocyte and CD4+ T cell activation. The work described here focuses on the hypothesis that the secreted protein products of T cells participate in the airway inflammatory process that underlies human asthma, and in particular that LCF could play an early role because of the unusual responsiveness of LCF-producing T to histamine. To date, most studies have addressed the measurement of cytokines derived from CD4+ T cells (e.g., IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, and GM-CSF) in the airways of asthmatics, and attempted to correlate the presence of protein or mRNA with the complexion of the inflammatory infiltrate. These studies have been based upon the reports that there are increased numbers of CD4+ T cells in the airways of asthmatics, and that the presence of eosinophils might correlate with the secretion of TH2-type cytokines like IL-3, -4, and -5. Using this information as a background, our work has approached the problem in an entirely different way. We have focused our attention on the early events in antigen-induced asthma that are responsible for CD4+ cell accumulation in the lung, including CD4+ T cells, eosinophils, and monocytes. We have attempted to identify mechanisms by which mast cell mediators, in particular histamine, might play a role in the secretion of chemotactic lymphokines that are selective for CD4+ cells by using CD4 itself as a chemotactic factor receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neutrophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis (NCF-A) release in aspirin-induced asthma

Neutrophil chemotactic activity (NCA) following oral challenge with aspirin (ASA) was determined in ASA-intolerant asthmatic subjects, and in ASA-tolerant asthmatic and normal subjects. There was a statistically significant fall in FEV1 and a rise in NCA (P less than 0.01) following challenge in the ASA-sensitive subjects compared with that of the ASA-tolerant subjects and normal controls. No significant difference was observed between the latter two groups. The chemotactic factor identified in this study had a molecular weight greater than 150 000 which is consistent with NCF-A (neutrophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis). The ASA-induced fall in FEV1 and rise in NCA was further studied in three of the ASA-intolerant asthmatic subjects, with and without pretreatment with inhaled sodium cromoglycate. In these subjects, the drug inhibited both the oral ASA-induced bronchoconstriction and the increase in neutrophil chemotactic activity. These results suggest that ASA-induced asthma involves mediator release from mast cells, as shown by the increase in NCA following ASA challenge and the protective effect of sodium cromoglycate which is considered to inhibit mast-cell degranulation.