Cara D C, Negrao-Correa D, Teixeira M M
Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Histol Histopathol. 2000 Jul;15(3):899-920. doi: 10.14670/HH-15.899.
After their formation in the bone marrow, eosinophils circulate with a short half-life and are distributed throughout the body, especially in mucosal and sub-mucosal regions. Although a small amount of these cells are normally seen in healthy tissue, blood and tissue eosinophilia is a hallmark of helminthic and allergic diseases. The role of eosinophils in the normal physiology of mucosal tissues is not understood, but there is good evidence to demonstrate that these cells protect the host at least against some intestinal helminths, specially those with a lung cycle. In addition, there are now many data that support a role for eosinophils in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases, such as asthma. Because helminthic diseases have been largely controlled in developed countries, there has been much interest in the development of drugs which affect eosinophil migration and/or activation in the tissue and which may, thus, be useful in the treatment of allergic conditions. The understanding of the mechanisms controlling eosinophil trafficking and/or activation are essential in the development of anti-eosinophil-based therapeutic strategies. The present paper reviews aspects of eosinophil biology with emphasis on the role of eosinophils in parasitic infections and allergy, the basic mechanisms underlying the trafficking of eosinophils into tissue and how these can be modulated pharmacologically.
嗜酸性粒细胞在骨髓中形成后，以较短的半衰期循环，并分布于全身，尤其是在黏膜和黏膜下区域。虽然在健康组织中通常可见少量这类细胞，但血液和组织嗜酸性粒细胞增多是蠕虫病和过敏性疾病的一个标志。嗜酸性粒细胞在黏膜组织正常生理中的作用尚不清楚，但有充分证据表明这些细胞至少能保护宿主抵御某些肠道蠕虫，特别是那些具有肺部循环的蠕虫。此外，现在有许多数据支持嗜酸性粒细胞在过敏性疾病（如哮喘）的病理生理学中发挥作用。由于蠕虫病在发达国家已得到很大程度的控制，人们对开发影响嗜酸性粒细胞在组织中的迁移和/或活化的药物产生了浓厚兴趣，这些药物可能因此对治疗过敏性疾病有用。了解控制嗜酸性粒细胞运输和/或活化的机制对于开发基于抗嗜酸性粒细胞的治疗策略至关重要。本文综述了嗜酸性粒细胞生物学的各个方面，重点关注嗜酸性粒细胞在寄生虫感染和过敏中的作用、嗜酸性粒细胞向组织中运输的基本机制以及如何通过药理学方法对其进行调节。
