Development of a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for eotaxin and measurement of its levels in human blood

An Overlook to the Characteristics and Roles Played by Eotaxin Network in the Pathophysiology of Food Allergies: Allergic Asthma and Atopic Dermatitis

Investigations revealed substantial parts accomplished by chemokines specifically eotaxins and their specific receptors. They are functionally involved in the modulation of the pathologic state of tissue inflammation which is as a result of allergic reactions. Chemokines as small proteins with approximately 8-10 kDa molecular weight are considered and fit in the bigger family of cytokines, containing basic heparin-binding polypeptide mediators. Chemokines actively interfere in the processes of selective, oriented leukocyte (including eosinophil) recruitment. As eminent from their name, more specifically, eotaxins are specialized for eosinophils' oriented locomotion toward allergic inflamed regions. To date, three members are defined for eotaxin subfamily as follows: eotaxin-1 (CCL11), eotaxin-2 (CCL24), and eotaxin-3 (CCL26), all of them bind to and activate CCR3 but have a low level of homology and appear to exhibit different physiological potentials. Allergy is described as a clinical state in which a pathologic hypersensitivity reaction is always initiated throughout an immunologic mechanism; similar to other immunologic reactions, an allergic reaction could also either be antibody or cell mediated. This type of allergic reactions occurs in all age groups and damages several different organs, having a significant impact on the emotional and social health of patients and their families and relatives. Concerning introductory comments introduced above, the authors of the present review attempted to collect and provide the latest evidences and information regarding the correlation between expression of eotaxin family members and allergy, in a wider extent, in two important allergic disorders: atopic asthma (AA) and atopic dermatitis (AD). Overall, concerning the most recent articles published within the database in the life sciences literature regarding the fundamental role(s) played by eotaxins in the pathogenesis of AA and AD, the authors of the current article propose that eotaxins (CCL11, CCL24, and CCL26) play key role(s) during symptomatic inflammatory responses raised in response to allergic crisis of these two clinical states.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of CDCP1 shed from the cell surface and present in colorectal cancer serum specimens

CUB domain containing protein 1 (CDCP1) is a transmembrane protein involved in progression of several cancers. When located on the plasma membrane, full-length 135kDa CDCP1 can undergo proteolysis mediated by serine proteases that cleave after two adjacent amino acids (arginine 368 and lysine 369). This releases from the cell surface two 65kDa fragments, collectively termed ShE-CDCP1, that differ by one carboxyl terminal residue. To evaluate the function of CDCP1 and its potential utility as a cancer biomarker, in this study we developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to reliably and easily measure the concentration of ShE-CDCP1 in biological samples. Using a reference standard we demonstrate that the developed ELISA has a working range of 0.68-26.5ng/ml, and the limit of detection is 0.25ng/ml. It displays high intra-assay (repeatability) and high inter-assay (reproducibility) precision with all coefficients of variation ≤7%. The ELISA also displays high accuracy detecting ShE-CDCP1 levels at ≥94.8% of actual concentration using quality control samples. We employed the ELISA to measure the concentration of ShE-CDCP1 in human serum samples with our results suggesting that levels are significantly higher in serum of colorectal cancer patients compared with serum from individuals with benign conditions (p<0.05). Our data also suggest that colorectal cancer patients with stage II-IV disease have at least 50% higher serum levels of ShE-CDCP1 compared with stage I cases (p<0.05). We conclude that the developed ELISA is a suitable method to quantify ShE-CDCP1 concentration in human serum.

From airway inflammation to inflammatory bowel disease: eotaxin-1, a key regulator of intestinal inflammation

Eotaxin-1 (CCL-11) is a potent eosinophil chemoattractant that is considered a major contributor to tissue eosinophilia. Elevated eotaxin-1 levels have been described in various pathologic conditions, ranging from airway inflammation, to Hodgkin lymphoma, obesity and coronary artery disease. The main receptor for eotaxin-1 is CCR3; however, recent evidence indicates that eotaxin-1 may also bind to other receptors expressed by various cell types, suggesting a more widespread regulatory role for eotaxin-1 beyond the recruitment of eosinophils. Eotaxin-1 is also strongly associated with various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Although the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still unknown, eotaxin-1 may play a key role in the development of mucosal inflammation. In this review, we summarize the biological context and effects of eotaxin-1, as well as its potential role as a therapeutic target, with a special focus on gastrointestinal inflammation.

Seric chemokines and chemokine receptors in eosinophils during acute human schistosomiasis mansoni

The recruitment of circulating eosinophils by chemokines and chemokine receptors plays an important role in the inflammation process in acute human schistosomiasis. Our main focus has been on the plasma chemokines (CXCL8/CCL2/CCL3/CCL24) and chemokine receptors (CCR2/CCR3/CCR5/CXCR1/CXCR2/CXCR3/CXCR4) expressed by circulating eosinophils from acute Schistosoma mansoni infected patients (ACT). Our studies compared ACT patients and healthy individuals as a control group. Our major findings demonstrated a plethora of chemokine secretion with significantly increased secretion of all chemokines analysed in the ACT group. Although no differences were detected for beta-chemokine receptors (CCR2, CCR3 and CCR5) or alpha-chemokine receptors (CXCR3 and CXCR4), a significantly lower frequency of CXCR1+ and CXCR2+ eosinophils in the ACT group was observed. The association between chemokines and their chemokine receptors revealed that acutely infected schistosome patients displaying decreased plasma levels of CCL24 are the same patients who presented enhanced secretion of CCL3, as well as increased expression of both the CCR5 and CXCR3 chemokine receptors. These findings suggest that CCL24 may influence the kinetics of chemokines and their receptors and eosinophils recruitment during human acute schistosomiasis mansoni.

Serum measurement of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine/CCL17 in children with atopic dermatitis: elevated normal levels in infancy and age-specific analysis in atopic dermatitis

Elevated blood levels of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC)/CCL17 have been observed in atopic dermatitis (AD) and may serve as a new biomarker for AD. However, the normal levels, especially in children, have not been well determined. We sought to establish an efficient enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a wide range of detection that would be suitable for measurement of serum TARC/CCL17 and to determine the normal ranges of this chemokine in different age groups and its diagnostic usefulness for AD. A sensitive specific ELISA for TARC/CCL17, which we previously reported, was modified to accommodate the wide range of TARC/CCL17 values often found in sera. Twenty-seven children with AD under 6 yr of age and 25 age-matched normal non-atopic controls, and 18 patients with AD and 27 controls who were 6 yr and older were enrolled. The severity of AD was evaluated using the SCORAD index. The serum levels of TARC/CCL17 were measured with the ELISA, and the serum levels of IP-10/CXCL10 were also measured. With the novel ELISA system, the assayable range of TARC/CCL17 was 14-8000 pg/ml, and the coefficient of variation at various concentrations ranged from 2.3% to 5.0%. The serum levels of TARC/CCL17 in normal individuals were significantly higher in young children, especially in the age group of 0-1 yr. The cut-off values of TARC/CCL17 for the diagnosis of AD were 1431 pg/ml for 0-1 yr group, 803 pg/ml for 2-5 yr group and 510 pg/ml for the 6 yr and older group, with high sensitivity and specificity of 0.83 and 0.93, 0.83 and 0.92, 0.85 and 0.96, respectively. The magnitude of the decrease in the SCORAD index after treatment with topical steroids correlated significantly with the decrease in serum TARC/CCL17. There was no difference in the serum levels of IP-10/CXCL10 between AD and the controls. The TARC/CCL17:IP-10/CXCL10 ratio tended to be higher in the control children aged 0-1 yr than in those aged 2-5 yr. The serum level of TARC/CCL17 reflects the severity and therapeutic response in AD. The high normal levels in infants should be taken into account when assaying TARC/CCL17.

Serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, macrophage-derived chemokine and eotaxin as markers of severity of atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Expression of CCR4 ligands, such as thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), leads to preferential influx of T-helper (Th) 2-type lymphocytes to the lesional skin in atopic dermatitis (AD). Eotaxin, like the CCR3 ligand, is an important contributor of eosinophils recruitment in the course of AD. These chemokines are assumed to play an important role in the pathomechanism of AD.

METHODS

In this study, the serum concentration of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) in AD patients and healthy people were compared. Correlation between the studied indices and activity of AD was established. Severity of AD was assessed according to the SCORAD score. The study comprised 44 healthy people and 43 patients with AD. The serum concentrations of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and IgE were measured with the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

RESULTS

The serum levels of TARC, MDC, eotaxin and IgE appeared to be significantly higher in patients with AD than in healthy people. A strong positive correlation was revealed between the levels of TARC, MDC, total IgE in serum of patients with AD and SCORAD. In contrast, no significant relationship was found for the serum eotaxin concentration and TARC, MDC, IgE or disease severity.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that TARC and MDC are actively involved in the pathogenesis of AD and their expression, opposite to that of eotaxin, is strongly associated with clinical picture of atopic dermatitis.

Potential role of the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha in human and experimental schistosomiasis

In human schistosomiasis, the concentrations of the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP-1alpha/CCL3) is greater in the plasma of patients with clinical hepatosplenic disease. The objective of the present study was to confirm the ability of CCL3 to detect severe disease in patients classified by ultrasonography (US) and to evaluate the potential role of CCL3 in Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. CCL3 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the plasma of S. mansoni-infected patients. CCL3-deficient mice were infected with 25 cercariae, and various inflammatory and infectious indices were evaluated. The concentration of CCL3 was higher in the plasma of S. mansoni-infected than noninfected patients. Moreover, CCL3 was greater in those with US-defined hepatosplenic than with the intestinal form of the disease. In CCL3-deficient mice, the size of the granuloma and the liver eosinophil peroxidase activity and collagen content were diminished compared to wild-type mice. In CCL3-deficient mice, the worm burden after 14 weeks of infection, but not after 9 weeks, was consistently smaller. The in vitro response of mesenteric lymph node cells to antigen stimulation was characterized by lower levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10. CCL3 is a marker of disease severity in infected humans, and experimental studies in mice suggest that CCL3 may be a causative factor in the development of severe schistosomiasis.

Effect of influenza vaccinations on immune response and serum eotaxin level in patients with allergic bronchial asthma

BACKGROUND

One of the most promising markers of allergic inflammation is eotaxin, which has a selective influence on the migration of eosinophils. Its serum content significantly correlates with the intensity of allergic symptoms, so it might be interesting to know whether vaccination has any influence on serum expression of this chemokine.

AIMS

Comparison of the humoral response to influenza vaccine and post-vaccination changes in the serum eotaxin level in patients with allergic bronchial asthma and healthy controls.

METHODS

Forty-two asthmatics and 45 healthy individuals were vaccinated with a single dose of influenza subunit vaccine (Influvac). The serum eotaxin level and the antibody response to haemagglutinin (HI) and neuraminidase (NI) glycoproteins were measured before and after vaccination.

RESULTS

A significant increase of geometric mean titres of HI and NI was observed in both groups. There were no significant differences between the groups in meanfold increase of HI and NI titres, response rate and protective level of HI. After vaccination, a significant decrease of the mean serum eotaxin value was observed in patients with asthma (149.4 +/- 71.0 versus 125.1 +/- 67.0, p= 0.0017), while no similar effect was present in healthy individuals (153.4 +/- 56.9 versus 159.3 +/- 54.4, p= 0.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that in patients with allergic bronchial asthma influenza vaccinations assure efficient protective antibody level and modulate the serum level of eotaxin.

Cc-chemokine eotaxin as a marker of efficacy of specific immunotherapy in patients with intermittent IgE-mediated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis

BACKGROUND

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is believed to be a valuable remedy in several allergic diseases; however, an accurate immunological marker of the efficacy of this treatment method has not been found yet. Cc-chemokine eotaxin, owing to its selective action on eosinophils, seems to play an important role in the pathophysiology of allergic response. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of eotaxin in monitoring of SIT efficacy in patients with IgE-mediated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty-two patients with seasonal IgE-mediated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis due to tree- (birch, n = 42; hazel/alder, n = 14) or grass/cereal- (n = 66) pollen received allergen-specific immunotherapy. Serum eotaxin levels were determined four times in every patient, shortly before immunotherapy (Evaluation 0), immediately after the treatment (Evaluation 1), in the height of pollen season (Evaluation 2) and at least 2 weeks after the pollen season (Evaluation 3). Serum eotaxin levels were simultaneously measured in 59 healthy people from the control group. Changes in serum eotaxin levels were assessed in the healthy and allergic groups. Clinical symptoms of IgE-mediated rhinoconjunctivitis were evaluated and compared with serum eotaxin concentration changes.

RESULTS

Mean values of eotaxin concentrations in serum during Evaluations 0-3 did not significantly differ in the healthy subjects and the patients with IgE-mediated rhinoconjunctivitis (P > 0.05). Moreover, no statistically significant differences in the serum eotaxin levels between the visits were observed in the patients who received immunotherapy (P > 0.05); however, immediately after immunotherapy (Evaluation 1) the mean serum level of eotaxin was lowest and closest to the serum eotaxin concentration in the control group at the same visit. No significant correlation between the mean value of the serum eotaxin level in the height of pollen season (r = -0.12, P > 0.05) or mean changes of the eotaxin levels between Evaluations 2 and 1 (r = -0.03, P > 0.05), on the one hand, and the cumulative score of symptoms and drug, on the other, were found.

CONCLUSIONS

The results allow to conclude that although eotaxin plays a significant role in the mechanism of antigen-specific immunotherapy, its serum expression remains a poor marker of SIT efficacy.

Infiltrating eosinophils and eotaxin: their association with idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis (IEE) is a very rare disease characterized by thickening and eosinophil infiltration of the esophagus. The most potent chemotactic factor for eosinophils is eotaxin, and its pathophysiologic significance in IEE needs to be elucidated.

OBJECTIVE

To study the association between eotaxin and IEE.

METHODS

We examined eotaxin expression in the esophagus of an IEE patient in comparison to controls by immunohistochemistry using a monoclonal antibody for human eotaxin. We also measured the free eotaxin level and the total (free and bound-form) eotaxin level in blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after the initiation of steroid therapy.

RESULTS

Most of the infiltrating eosinophils in the affected esophageal tissue showed immunohistochemical staining with anti-eotaxin antibody. In blood samples, the free eotaxin level was slightly elevated before treatment, whereas the total eotaxin level was within the normal range. Unexpectedly, the total eotaxin level increased dramatically after the initiation of steroid therapy, whereas the increase of free eotaxin was modest.

CONCLUSION

Infiltrating eosinophils that express eotaxin and the changes of blood eotaxin levels during steroid therapy suggest that eotaxin may be associated with IEE.

Evaluation of human thymus and activation-regulated chemokine concentrations in blood using a new sandwich ELISA based on monoclonal antibodies

BACKGROUND

CC chemokine TARC (thymus and activation-regulated chemokine), a potent chemoattractant for Th2 lymphocytes, is thought to play important roles in inflammatory diseases. We developed a new sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for human TARC (hTARC) to accurately measure and evaluate its concentrations in blood.

METHODS

An ELISA was developed using two established monoclonal antibodies against hTARC. Using this assay, we observed changes of hTARC concentrations in serum and plasma obtained from individual subjects. Improvements to the assay were made to allow use for the clinical evaluation of samples from atopic dermatitis (AD).

RESULTS

The lower detection limit of the ELISA was 1.4 pg/ml for a 25 microl sample volume. Other assay characteristics were enough to satisfactorily measure hTARC in biological fluids. This ELISA revealed that changes in serum and plasma concentrations were related to sample handling before separation from blood. With appropriate sample preparation, significant increases of hTARC were observed in patients with AD in comparison with normal subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate sample preparation is important for clinical studies on hTARC. Accurate measurement using our ELISA method offers a suitable clinical index for evaluating the severity of allergic diseases of Th2-dominant disorders, such as AD.

Presence of high contents of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in platelets and elevated plasma levels of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine and macrophage-derived chemokine in patients with atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

T(H)2 cells and eosinophils selectively express CC chemokine receptor 4 and CCR3, respectively, and their chemokine ligands are likely to play important roles in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD).

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the presence of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) in platelets and its release during clotting and to evaluate the circulating levels of TARC, macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), and eotaxin in control subjects and patients with AD.

METHODS

We compared plasma and serum contents of TARC, MDC, and eotaxin. We measured TARC contents in platelet lysates. We analyzed the correlation of plasma levels of TARC, MDC, and eotaxin with various clinicolaboratory parameters in patients with AD.

RESULTS

Serum contents of TARC rapidly increased during clotting, whereas those of MDC and eotaxin increased only slightly. We demonstrated that platelets contained TARC, and its levels were dramatically elevated in patients with AD. Platelets also released TARC on stimulation with thrombin. We therefore evaluated circulating levels of these chemokines in control subjects and patients with AD by using plasma samples. Plasma TARC levels were significantly increased in patients with AD (P <.0001) and showed significant correlations with severity scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index (r = 0.665, P <.00001), serum lactate dehydrogenese levels (r = 0.696, P =.00001), eosinophil counts (r = 0.381, P =.007), and platelet counts (r = 0.562, P <.0001). Similarly, plasma MDC levels were significantly increased in patients with AD (P <.0001) and showed significant correlations with SCORAD index (r = 0.727, P <.0001), serum lactate dehydrogenese levels (r = 0.861, P <.0001), eosinophil counts (r = 0.505, P =.005), and platelet counts (r = 0.370, P =.01). On treatment, plasma TARC and MDC levels were dramatically decreased in accordance with improved SCORAD scores (P =.0012 and P =.0007, respectively). On the other hand, plasma eotaxin levels did not show any significant increase or correlation with any of the clinical parameters in patients with AD.

CONCLUSION

Platelets from patients with AD contain high levels of TARC. Thus platelets might play an important role in AD pathogenesis by releasing T(H)2-attracting TARC on activation. Furthermore, circulating levels of TARC and MDC, but not those of eotaxin, correlate well with the disease activity of AD.

Increased levels of a TH2-type CC chemokine thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) in serum and induced sputum of asthmatics

BACKGROUND

Cytokines liberated by TH2 cells play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Recent studies have demonstrated that CC chemokine receptor (CCR)4 is preferentially expressed by TH2 cells. These facts suggest possible involvement of two CCR4-specific ligands i.e., thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma via recruitment of TH2 cells to inflammatory sites. We investigated the levels of TARC and MDC in the serum and induced sputum of asthmatics.

METHODS

The levels of TARC in the serum (46 asthmatics and 26 healthy subjects) and induced sputum (30 asthmatics and 6 healthy subjects) were measured using a highly sensitive ELISA system. The levels of eotaxin and MDC were also measured by ELISA.

RESULTS

TARC, but not MDC, was significantly increased in asthmatic sera (P<0.001). Although MDC was undetectable in the sputum of most cases by our assay system, sputum TARC was significantly increased (P=0.027).

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated TARC levels in asthmatics might be involved in the pathophysiology of asthma.

Inducible expression of a CC chemokine liver- and activation-regulated chemokine (LARC)/macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3 alpha/CCL20 by epidermal keratinocytes and its role in atopic dermatitis

Liver-and activation-regulated chemokine (LARC)/macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3alpha/CCL20 is a CC chemokine which is constitutively expressed by follicle-associated epithelial cells in the mucosa, and attracts cells expressing CCR6 such as immature dendritic cells and alpha(4)beta(7)(high) intestine-seeking memory T cells. Here, we examine LARC/CCL20 expression in the skin. LARC/CCL20 mRNA and protein were induced in primary human keratinocytes upon stimulation with proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1alpha and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. In mice, intradermal injection of IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha rapidly induced a local accumulation of transcripts for LARC/CCL20 and its receptor CCR6 with a lag of several hours in the latter. In humans, immunostaining of LARC/CCL20 was weak if any in normal skin tissues but strongly augmented in lesional skin tissues with atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, massive infiltration of cells with markers such as CD1a, CD3 or HLA-DR was present in atopic skin lesions. Many infiltrating cells were also found to be CCR6(+) by a newly generated monoclonal anti-CCR6. However, Langerhans cells residing within the epidermis were hardly stained by anti-CCR6 in normal and atopic skin tissues. Furthermore, plasma levels of LARC/CCL20 were found to be elevated in patients with atopic dermatitis. Collectively, our results suggest that epidermal keratinocytes produce LARC/CCL20 upon stimulation with proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha, and attract CCR6-expressing immature dendritic cells and memory/effector T cells into the dermis of inflamed skin such as atopic dermatitis. LARC/CCL20 may not, however, play a major role in homeostatic migration of Langerhans cells into the skin.

Eotaxin in induced sputum of asthmatics: relationship with eosinophils and eosinophil cationic protein in sputum

BACKGROUND

Eosinophilic inflammation is a crucial aspect of allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma. An eosinophil-active chemokine, eotaxin, may play a role in the pathogenesis of the tissue eosinophilia accompanying asthma.

METHODS

Induced sputa were obtained from 53 patients with atopic asthma and six healthy subjects, and the concentration of eotaxin in the sputum was measured by ELISA. We investigated whether the sputum content of eotaxin is related to 1) asthma status or corticosteroid therapy, and 2) other sputum indices, including percentage of eosinophils and concentration of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP).

RESULTS

The patients with stable or unstable asthma showed significantly higher concentrations of sputum eotaxin than the normal controls. The level of sputum eotaxin demonstrated a positive correlation with the percentage of eosinophils in stable asthmatics not receiving corticosteroid therapy, but not in stable patients treated with corticosteroids, or in unstable patients. Sputum eotaxin demonstrated a positive correlation with ECP in asthmatic patients who were either in a stable state or not receiving steroid therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated level of eotaxin detected in association with increased eosinophils and ECP in the sputum of asthmatics suggests that eotaxin is involved in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic airway inflammation. The relationship of eotaxin to airway eosinophilia may be modified by the stability status of asthma and corticosteroid therapy.

Eotaxin in serum of patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: relationship with eosinophil cationic protein and lung function

This study was undertaken to investigate the correlation between the serum ECP and the serum eotaxin level, and disease activity as evaluated with pulmonary function in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 20 patients with stable asthma and 15 patients with COPD, and 15 subjects of the control group took part in this study. The analysis of ECP was performed according to the manufacturer's directions (Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden). The ELISA test was used to measure eotaxin levels in sserum (kits from R&D, USA). The levels of ECP were 16.9+/-6.3 microg/L in patients with asthma, 15.1+/-9.3 microg/L in patients with COPD and 11.8+/-6.2 microg/L in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the asthma ECP level compared with the ECP level in COPD. There was a significant difference between the ECP plasma level in asthma compared with the ECP plasma level in the control group (p<0.05). The levels of eotaxin were 175.8+/-49.3 pg/mL in the control group. There was a correlation of ECP and the eotaxin level in asthma patients (r=+0.5, p<0.05). The percentage fall in FEV1 correlated with eotaxin level in asthma (r=-0.3, p<0.05) and with the eotaxin level in COPD (r=-0.5, p<0.05). Serum outcomes of eotaxin and ECP levels appear to be a useful indicator of atopic asthma, and might provide complementary data disease monitoring. Therefore, further investigations are required to clarify whether serum eotaxin measurements have a role in the clinical evaluation in COPD.