DY Koller, R Urbanek and M Gotz
Division of Allergy, University Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria.

Increased serum and sputum concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and of neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) have been described in patients with cystic fibrosis. Because numbers of eosinophils are normal in both peripheral blood and in the lung of patients with cystic fibrosis, we investigated whether eosinophils presented with an increased propensity to release their granule proteins. We investigated 20 patients with cystic fibrosis, 19 individuals with bronchial asthma, and 21 healthy nonatopic subjects. Isolated granulocytes were stimulated with serum-opsonized Sephadex G15 particles and the released amounts of ECP and MPO were measured by using radioimmunoassays. Eosinophils of patients with cystic fibrosis released significantly higher amounts of ECP than control subjects (p < 0.0001) and individuals with bronchial asthma (p < 0.0001). The release of MPO from neutrophils was also higher (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.005, respectively). Furthermore, a significant relationship between clinical variables and secretory activity of eosinophils was found in cystic fibrosis. We conclude that eosinophils as well as neutrophils obtained from patients with cystic fibrosis have an increased propensity to release their granule proteins which may be due to priming mechanisms. These findings would support anti-inflammatory treatment modalities in cystic fibrosis.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Uchida, D. C. Beck, T. Yamamoto, P.-Y. Berclaz, S. Abe, M. K. Staudt, B. C. Carey, M.-D. Filippi, S. E. Wert, L. A. Denson, et al. GM-CSF Autoantibodies and Neutrophil Dysfunction in Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis N. Engl. J. Med., February 8, 2007; 356(6): 567 - 579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. Moraes, J. Plumb, R. Martin, E. Vachon, V. Cherepanov, A. Koh, C. Loeve, J. Jongstra-Bilen, J. H. Zurawska, J. V. Kus, et al. Abnormalities in the Pulmonary Innate Immune System in Cystic Fibrosis Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., March 1, 2006; 34(3): 364 - 374. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Linden, M. Laan, and G. P. Anderson Neutrophils, interleukin-17A and lung disease Eur. Respir. J., January 1, 2005; 25(1): 159 - 172. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Kettle, T. Chan, I. Osberg, R. Senthilmohan, A. L. P. Chapman, T. J. Mocatta, and J. S. Wagener Myeloperoxidase and Protein Oxidation in the Airways of Young Children with Cystic Fibrosis Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., December 15, 2004; 170(12): 1317 - 1323. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Kawaguchi, F. Kokubu, S. Matsukura, K. Ieki, M. Odaka, S. Watanabe, S. Suzuki, M. Adachi, and S.-K. Huang Induction of C-X-C Chemokines, Growth-Related Oncogene {alpha} Expression, and Epithelial Cell-Derived Neutrophil-Activating Protein-78 by ML-1 (Interleukin-17F) Involves Activation of Raf1-Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase-Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 Pathway J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., December 1, 2003; 307(3): 1213 - 1220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Miyamoto, O. Prause, M. Sjostrand, M. Laan, J. Lotvall, and A. Linden Endogenous IL-17 as a Mediator of Neutrophil Recruitment Caused by Endotoxin Exposure in Mouse Airways J. Immunol., May 1, 2003; 170(9): 4665 - 4672. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. Tabary, C. Muselet, S. Escotte, F. Antonicelli, D. Hubert, D. Dusser, and J. Jacquot Interleukin-10 Inhibits Elevated Chemokine Interleukin-8 and Regulated on Activation Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted Production in Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cells by Targeting the IkB Kinase {alpha}/{beta} Complex Am. J. Pathol., January 1, 2003; 162(1): 293 - 302. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Suri, L. J. Marshall, C. Wallis, C. Metcalfe, A. Bush, and J. K. Shute Effects of Recombinant Human DNase and Hypertonic Saline on Airway Inflammation in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., August 1, 2002; 166(3): 352 - 355. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. R. Usher, R. A. Lawson, I. Geary, C. J. Taylor, C. D. Bingle, G. W. Taylor, and M. K. B. Whyte Induction of Neutrophil Apoptosis by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exotoxin Pyocyanin: A Potential Mechanism of Persistent Infection J. Immunol., February 15, 2002; 168(4): 1861 - 1868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. De Rose Mechanisms and markers of airway inflammation in cystic fibrosis Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2002; 19(2): 333 - 340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.-Y. Yang, H. Chuang, R.-F. Chen, and K. D. Yang Reversible phosphatidylserine expression on blood granulocytes related to membrane perturbation but not DNA strand breaks J. Leukoc. Biol., February 1, 2002; 71(2): 231 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. G. Gibson, J. L. Simpson, and N. Saltos Heterogeneity of Airway Inflammation in Persistent Asthma : Evidence of Neutrophilic Inflammation and Increased Sputum Interleukin-8 Chest, May 1, 2001; 119(5): 1329 - 1336. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Schwiebert, K. Estell, and S. M. Propst Chemokine expression in CF epithelia: implications for the role of CFTR in RANTES expression Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, March 1, 1999; 276(3): C700 - C710. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Liu, S. C. Lazarus, G. H. Caughey, and J. V. Fahy Neutrophil elastase and elastase-rich cystic fibrosis sputum degranulate human eosinophils in vitro Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, January 1, 1999; 276(1): L28 - L34. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Kroegel, M. Schüler, M. Förster, R. Braun, and P. R. Grahmann Evidence for eosinophil activation in bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis and bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: discrepancy between blood eosinophil counts and serum eosinophil cationic protein levels Thorax, June 1, 1998; 53(6): 498 - 500. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. J. RUSSELL, J. MCREDMOND, N. MUKHERJI, C. COSTELLO, V. KEATINGS, S. LINNANE, M. HENRY, M. X. FITZGERALD, and C. M. O'CONNOR Neutrophil Adhesion Molecule Surface Expression and Responsiveness in Cystic Fibrosis Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., March 1, 1998; 157(3): 756 - 761. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]