HZ Shi, CQ Xiao, D Zhong, SM Qin, Y Liu, GR Liang, H Xu, YQ Chen, XM Long and ZF Xie
Department of Internal Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China. hzshi@public.nn.gx.cn

In order to investigate the role of interleukin-5 (IL-5) in airway hyperreactivity and eosinophilia, we observed the effect of inhaled recombinant human IL-5 on airway responsiveness to methacholine and cell populations in induced sputum in eight patients with allergic bronchial asthma using a placebo-controlled study design. Our results demonstrated that the inhalation of IL-5 did not alter lung function in allergic asthmatics. In the control experiments receiving either vehicle or 0.4 ng of endotoxin, methacholine PC20 values did not change nor did the numbers of eosinophils or eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) sputum values change from baseline. In contrast, after IL-5 inhalation, methacholine PC20 fell from baseline (0.90 +/- 166 mg/ml) to 0.32 +/- 1.63 mg/ml (p < 0.01) at 24 h, and to 0.55 +/- 1.49 mg/ml (p < 0.05) at 48 h. Accompanying this increased airway sensitivity was a significant eosinophilia and elevated concentrations of ECP in induced sputum. Our data provided direct evidence that IL-5 increases airway responsiveness and infiltration of activated eosinophils into the airway in patients with allergic bronchial asthma. It also could be concluded that the observed airway hyperreactivity and eosinophilia were not endotoxin related.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. W. Busse and E. A. E. B. Kelly Is the Eosinophil a "Humpty Dumpty" Cell in Asthma? Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 15, 2003; 167(2): 102 - 103. [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Duan, I. C. Kuo, S. Selvarajan, K. Y. Chua, B. H. Bay, and W. S. F. Wong Antiinflammatory Effects of Genistein, a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, on a Guinea Pig Model of Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 15, 2003; 167(2): 185 - 192. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E L J van Rensen, R G Stirling, J Scheerens, K Staples, P J Sterk, P J Barnes, and K F Chung Evidence for systemic rather than pulmonary effects of interleukin-5 administration in asthma Thorax, December 1, 2001; 56(12): 935 - 940. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. W. Busse and R. F. Lemanske Asthma N. Engl. J. Med., February 1, 2001; 344(5): 350 - 362. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Lach-Trifilieff, R. A. McKay, B. P. Monia, J. G. Karras, and C. Walker In Vitro and In Vivo Inhibition of Interleukin (IL)-5-Mediated Eosinopoiesis by Murine IL-5R{alpha} Antisense Oligonucleotide Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., February 1, 2001; 24(2): 116 - 122. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				G. L. LARSEN and P. G. HOLT The Concept of Airway Inflammation Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., August 1, 2000; 162(2): S2 - 6. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A S. El-Radhi, C. L Hogg, J. K Bungre, A. Bush, and C. J Corrigan Effect of oral glucocorticoid treatment on serum inflammatory markers in acute asthma Arch. Dis. Child., August 1, 2000; 83(2): 158 - 162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Zaitsu, Y. Hamasaki, M. Matsuo, A. Kukita, K. Tsuji, M. Miyazaki, R. Hayasaki, E. Muro, S. Yamamoto, I. Kobayashi, et al. New induction of leukotriene A4 hydrolase by interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes Blood, July 15, 2000; 96(2): 601 - 609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Rosi and G. Scano Association of sputum parameters with clinical and functional measurements in asthma Thorax, March 1, 2000; 55(3): 235 - 238. [Full Text]

				S. T. HOLGATE and A. P. SAMPSON Antileukotriene Therapy . Future Directions Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 1, 2000; 161(2): S147 - 153. [Full Text] [PDF]

				K F Chung and P J Barnes Cytokines in asthma Thorax, September 1, 1999; 54(9): 825 - 857. [Full Text]

				M. A. Giembycz and M. A. Lindsay Pharmacology of the Eosinophil Pharmacol. Rev., June 1, 1999; 51(2): 213 - 340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. HOSHINO, J. LOTVALL, B.-E. SKOOGH, and A. LINDEN Neutrophil Recruitment by Interleukin-17 into Rat Airways In Vivo . Role of Tachykinins Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., May 1, 1999; 159(5): 1423 - 1428. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. J. Barnes, K. F. Chung, and C. P. Page Inflammatory Mediators of Asthma: An Update Pharmacol. Rev., December 1, 1998; 50(4): 515 - 596. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H.-Z. SHI, J.-M. DENG, H. XU, Z.-X. NONG, C.-Q. XIAO, Z.-M. LIU, S.-M. QIN, H.-X. JIANG, G.-N. LIU, and Y.-Q. CHEN Effect of Inhaled Interleukin-4 on Airway Hyperreactivity in Asthmatics Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., June 1, 1998; 157(6): 1818 - 1821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. P. England, P. Balasubramanian, I. Uings, S. Bethell, M.-J. Chen, P. J. Schatz, Q. Yin, Y.-F. Chen, E. A. Whitehorn, A. Tsavaler, et al. A potent dimeric peptide antagonist of interleukin-5 that binds two interleukin-5 receptor alpha chains PNAS, June 6, 2000; 97(12): 6862 - 6867. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]