RESUMO
Studies have shown that eosinophils are closely related to pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Eosinophils release eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), which plays an important role in infection and allergic reactions. Serum ECP mRNA expression in children with bronchial asthma has not been adequately investigated. We analyzed serum ECP mRNA expression in 63 children with bronchial asthma and 21 healthy children by using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to understand the role of ECP in children with bronchial asthma. The children with bronchial asthma were segregated into acute-phase and stable-phase groups, based on the severity of the illness. Serum ECP mRNA expression in children with bronchial asthma (0.375 ± 0.04) was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (0.20 ± 0.02; P < 0.05). Additionally, children in the acute-phase group showed higher ECP mRNA expression level (0.44 ± 0.06) than those in the stable-phase (0.31 ± 0.03) and healthy control groups (0.20 ± 0.02; P < 0.05), while the level in the stable-phase (0.31 ± 0.03) was markedly higher than that in the healthy control group (0.20 ± 0.02; P < 0.05). Detection of serum ECP mRNA expression level has possible applications in the diagnosis and treatment of children with bronchial asthma.
Assuntos
Asma/genética , Proteína Catiônica de Eosinófilo/genética , Eosinófilos/enzimologia , RNA Mensageiro/biossíntese , Asma/sangue , Asma/enzimologia , Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/sangue , Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/genética , Criança , Proteína Catiônica de Eosinófilo/biossíntese , Proteína Catiônica de Eosinófilo/sangue , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , RNA Mensageiro/sangue , RNA Mensageiro/genéticaRESUMO
Female sex hormones (FSHs) exert profound regulatory effects on the course of lung inflammation due to allergic and non-allergic immune responses. As pollution is one of the pivotal factors to induce lung dysfunction, in this study we investigated the modulatory role of FSHs on lung inflammation after a formaldehyde (FA) exposure. For this purpose, lung and systemic inflammatory responses were evaluated in terms of leukocytes countings in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), peripheral blood and bone marrow lavage from 7-day ovariectomized (OVx) and Sham-OVx rats subjected to FA inhalation for 3 consecutive days. The hypothesized link between effects of FSHs on expression of adhesion molecules and mast cells degranulation was also studied. Once exposed to FA, Sham-OVx rats increased the number of total cells recovered in BAL and of leukocytes in peripheral blood, and decreased the counts in bone marrow. By contrast, in OVx rats upon FA exposure there was a reduction of the total cells counts in BAL and of blood leukocytes; lung expressions of ICAM-1 and Mac-1 were depressed, but the number of bone marrow cells did not vary. Estradiol treatment of OVx rats increased the total cells in BAL and decreased the number of blood leukocytes, whereas the number of bone marrow cell remained unaltered. Progesterone treatment, in turn increased the total cells in BAL and blood leukocytes, but decreased the number of bone marrow cells. OVx rats exposed to FA developed tracheal hyperresponsiveness to methacholine (MCh). A similarly altered response was found between the tracheal segments of Sham-OVx rats after FA exposure and that found in tracheae of naïve rats. Estradiol treatment prevented FA-induced tracheal hyperresponsiveness to MCh whereas progesterone was ineffective in this regard. In addition, OVx rats upon FA exposure significantly increased both, the ability of mast cell degranulation and serum corticosterone levels. In conclusion, it was found that FSHs act by distinct control mechanisms on FA-induced lung inflammation and tracheal hyperresponsiveness, since at low circulating levels of FSHs (such as those after OVx) there is some resistance to the development of a lung inflammatory response, but the cholinergic tracheal responsiveness is exacerbated. Our data also help to understand the involvement of FSHs on mast cells activity after pollutants exposure and add information regarding the role of FSHs on the mechanisms related to endothelium-leukocyte interactions.
Assuntos
Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/induzido quimicamente , Estradiol/metabolismo , Formaldeído/toxicidade , Pulmão/efeitos dos fármacos , Progesterona/metabolismo , Traqueia/efeitos dos fármacos , Poluentes Atmosféricos/toxicidade , Animais , Medula Óssea/efeitos dos fármacos , Medula Óssea/imunologia , Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Medula Óssea/patologia , Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/sangue , Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/imunologia , Hiper-Reatividade Brônquica/metabolismo , Líquido da Lavagem Broncoalveolar/citologia , Moléculas de Adesão Celular/metabolismo , Degranulação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Corticosterona/sangue , Feminino , Técnicas In Vitro , Leucócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Leucócitos/imunologia , Leucócitos/metabolismo , Leucócitos/patologia , Pulmão/imunologia , Pulmão/metabolismo , Pulmão/patologia , Ativação Linfocitária/efeitos dos fármacos , Mastócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Mastócitos/imunologia , Mastócitos/metabolismo , Mastócitos/fisiologia , Especificidade de Órgãos , Ovariectomia , Pneumonia/induzido quimicamente , Pneumonia/imunologia , Pneumonia/metabolismo , Pneumonia/patologia , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Traqueia/imunologia , Traqueia/metabolismoRESUMO
We evaluated if repeated stress modulates mucociliary clearance and inflammatory responses in airways of guinea pigs (GP) with chronic inflammation. The GP received seven exposures of ovalbumin or saline 0.9%. After 4th inhalation, animals were submitted to repeated forced swim stressor protocol (5x/week/2 weeks). After 7th inhalation, GP were anesthetized. We measured transepithelial potential difference, ciliary beat frequency, mucociliary transport, contact angle, cough transportability and serum cortisol levels. Lungs and adrenals were removed, weighed and analyzed by morphometry. Ovalbumin-exposed animals submitted to repeated stress had a reduction in mucociliary transport, and an increase on serum cortisol, adrenals weight, mucus wettability and adhesivity, positive acid mucus area and IL-4 positive cells in airway compared to non-stressed ovalbumin-exposed animals (p<0.05). There were no effects on eosinophilic recruitment and IL-13 positive cells. Repeated stress reduces mucociliary clearance due to mucus rheological-property alterations, increasing acid mucus and its wettability and adhesivity. These effects seem to be associated with IL-4 activation.