Clinical Immunology and Allergy Unit, Department of Medicine, and Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
J Innate Immun. 2011;3(2):120-30. doi: 10.1159/000323350. Epub 2011 Jan 14.
Mast cells are well known for their role in allergic inflammation where, upon aggregation of the high-affinity immunoglobulin E receptor, they release mediators such as histamine that cause classical allergic symptoms. Mast cells are located in almost all tissues and are especially numerous in organs that interface with the environment. Given this strategic location and the more recent notion that they are endowed with receptors that recognize endogenous and exogenous danger signals such as pathogens, it is not surprising that they function as important cells in immune surveillance. When mast cells are activated by pathogens they modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. In allergy, infections might cause exacerbation of the allergic reaction by affecting the reactivity of mast cells. With new developments within the field of mast cell biology, we will better understand how mast cells execute their effector functions. This knowledge will also help to improve the management of allergic diseases.
肥大细胞以其在过敏炎症中的作用而闻名，在高亲和力免疫球蛋白 E 受体聚集后，它们会释放出组胺等介质，导致典型的过敏症状。肥大细胞存在于几乎所有组织中，特别是在与环境接触的器官中数量众多。鉴于它们所处的战略位置，以及最近的观点认为它们具有识别内源性和外源性危险信号（如病原体）的受体，它们作为免疫监视的重要细胞并不奇怪。当肥大细胞被病原体激活时，它们会调节先天和适应性免疫反应。在过敏中，感染可能通过影响肥大细胞的反应性来加重过敏反应。随着肥大细胞生物学领域的新发展，我们将更好地理解肥大细胞如何执行其效应功能。这一知识也将有助于改善过敏疾病的管理。
