Allergen-induced increase in airway responsiveness, airway eosinophilia, and bone-marrow eosinophil progenitors in mice

Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1999 Oct;21(4):473-9. doi: 10.1165/ajrcmb.21.4.3622.

Abstract

Increases in bone-marrow (BM) inflammatory cell progenitors are associated with allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in asthmatics and dogs. Here, for the first time, we compare the time course of airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and marrow progenitor responses in a mouse model of airway allergen challenge. Sensitized BALB/c mice were studied at 2, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after intranasal ovalbumin or saline challenges. Outcome measurements included airway responsiveness, airway inflammation as assessed via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissue sections, and BM eosinophil colony-forming units (Eo-CFU) as enumerated using a semisolid culture assay with optimal concentrations of interleukin-5. We observed significant increases in BAL fluid eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages by 2 h after the second of two intranasal allergen challenges (P < 0.05). Significant increases in airway responsiveness or BM Eo-CFU were observed at 24 h and persisted until 48 h after the second challenge (P < 0.05). Airway inflammation, including eosinophils, persisted until at least 72 h (P < 0.05). We observed that allergen-induced airway eosinophilia is accompanied by increases in BM eosinophil progenitors, indicating that in this model, increased eosinophil production involves an expansion of the relevant stem-cell population. These findings support the use of this model to explore the mechanisms of increased eosinopoiesis observed in human asthma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Allergens / administration & dosage*
  • Animals
  • Asthma / etiology
  • Asthma / pathology
  • Bone Marrow / drug effects
  • Bone Marrow / pathology
  • Bronchial Hyperreactivity / etiology*
  • Bronchial Hyperreactivity / pathology
  • Colony-Forming Units Assay
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dogs
  • Eosinophilia / etiology*
  • Eosinophilia / pathology
  • Eosinophils / drug effects
  • Eosinophils / pathology
  • Hematopoiesis / drug effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / pathology
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-5 / pharmacology
  • Methacholine Chloride / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Ovalbumin / immunology

Substances

  • Allergens
  • Interleukin-5
  • Methacholine Chloride
  • Ovalbumin