“…A superfamily of small, structurally related cytokine molecules, chemokines are characterized by their ability to affect trafficking of leukocytes. Some chemokines, such as CCL2/MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein 1), CCL3/MIP-1␣ (macrophage inflammatory protein-1␣), CCL5/RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), and CCL11/eotaxin-1, have been reported to activate mouse, rat, or human mast cells (3)(4)(5)(6). Abundant expression of these CC chemokines and accumulation of leukocytes has also been observed in allergic inflammatory tissues (7)(8)(9).…”