Division of a Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
J Innate Immun. 2011;3(2):113-9. doi: 10.1159/000323433.
Eosinophils have long been noted to be present in asthma and other forms of pulmonary inflammation, but whether they act as true offenders or merely as bystanders has been a point of uncertainty. However, in recent years, there has been increasing evidence suggesting that eosinophils are not passive cells in the respiratory system, acting only as markers of allergic inflammation. This review discusses key evidence from animal models and human clinical trials that support the importance of eosinophils as active and necessary, rather than passive and unnecessary, to the pathogenesis of allergic airway disease. Analyses that are supportive of important immunoregulatory roles of eosinophils in allergic pulmonary inflammation are also reviewed. Data indicating that eosinophils contribute to viral, bacterial, and mycobacterial defense and clearance are detailed. Continually increasing evidence has supported a new conception of eosinophils as being multifaceted immune cells with complex interactions with other immune cells and their local environment.
嗜酸性粒细胞在哮喘和其他形式的肺部炎症中一直存在，但它们是真正的罪魁祸首还是仅仅是旁观者，这一直是一个不确定的问题。然而，近年来，越来越多的证据表明，嗜酸性粒细胞在呼吸系统中并不是被动的细胞，它们不仅仅是过敏炎症的标志物。这篇综述讨论了来自动物模型和人类临床试验的关键证据，这些证据支持嗜酸性粒细胞作为过敏性气道疾病发病机制中的活跃和必要因素的重要性，而不是被动和不必要的。还回顾了支持嗜酸性粒细胞在过敏性肺部炎症中具有重要免疫调节作用的分析。详细介绍了表明嗜酸性粒细胞有助于病毒、细菌和分枝杆菌防御和清除的数据。不断增加的证据支持了一种新的概念，即嗜酸性粒细胞是具有复杂相互作用的多面免疫细胞，它们与其他免疫细胞及其局部环境相互作用。
