HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Scheicher, M. E. Articles by Vianna, E. O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Scheicher, M. E. Articles by Vianna, E. O.

Eotaxin-2 in sputum cell culture to evaluate asthma inflammation

Depts of ¹ Medicine and ³ Pharmacology, University of S. Paulo Medical School at Ribeirão Preto, Sãu Paulo, Depts of ² Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, and ⁴ Internal Medicine, Medical School, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

CORRESPONDENCE: E. O. Vianna, Pulmonary Division, Dept of Medicine, University of S. Paulo Medical School at Ribeirão Preto, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, Sãu Paulo, 14048-900, Brazil. Fax: 55 1636336695. E-mail: evianna{at}uol.com.br

Keywords: Asthma, cell culture, inflammatory mediators, sputum, steroid

Received: August 5, 2006
Accepted October 26, 2006

The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether the culture of cells recovered from induced sputum may represent a suitable model to evaluate cytokine and chemokine production by airway inflammatory cells.

Sputum induction was performed in 21 normal subjects and 30 asthmatic patients. A total of 21 out of the 30 asthmatic patients were taking inhaled corticosteroids, while the remaining nine were steroid-naive asthmatics. The steroid-naive group was evaluated before and after a 14-day treatment with oral prednisone (40 mg·day^–1). The supernatant of lysed and centrifuged sputum and the supernatant of sputum cell culture were analysed. Tumour necrosis factor-, interleukin (IL)-8 (CXCL8), IL-1ß, IL-13 and eotaxin-2 (CCL24) concentrations were determined by specific ELISA.

Eotaxin-2 production by cell culture was higher in the asthma group (131±108 pg·mL^–1) than in the control group (36±41 pg·mL^–1) and treatment with oral corticosteroids eliminated this difference. In addition, reduction of eotaxin-2 levels by corticosteroid treatment was greater in cell culture (81.3% reduction) than in sputum (26.4%). There was correlation between the decrease in eotaxin-2 production and the decrease in blood eosinophil number and between eotaxin-2 and eosinophils in sputum.

Eotaxin-2 may play an important role in asthma and the response to corticosteroid treatment suggests that analysis of sputum cell culture is relevant as an inflammatory parameter.