It is concluded that eosinophils are activated during acute bacterial infections and that this activation results in the preferential mobilisation of ECP. The simultaneous assay of the two eosinophil proteins, ECP and EPO, may give new insight into the role of the eosinophil in disease.
We conclude that in asthmatics the intracellular content of ECP and EPO in peripheral eosinophils is reduced possibly due to degranulation. Epitope masking in activated eosinophils or a shift to early bone marrow-derived progenitors with less granule proteins are further possible explanations.
The finding of increased EPO concentrations in the BAL fluid and decreased intracellular EPO expression in pulmonary eosinophils of asthmatic patients reflects the allergen-triggered release of EPO into the bronchial space.
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