Feltelius N, Hällgren R, Venge P
Ann Rheum Dis. 1987 May;46(5):403-7. doi: 10.1136/ard.46.5.403.
The possibility of eosinophil involvement in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was investigated by measuring serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a specific granule constituent of eosinophils. In a group of 48 patients with AS we found a threefold increase of the mean serum levels of ECP compared with a reference group (p less than 0.001). The blood eosinophil counts were similar in patients and controls. A correlation was found between ECP and inflammatory activity defined by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum haptoglobin. Fifteen patients were studied before and after three months' treatment with sulphasalazine (2-3 g/day). The ECP levels decreased in 13/15 and this paralleled reduction of the acute phase reaction and improvement of clinical parameters. The results point to eosinophil activation as part of the inflammatory process in AS. The signs of reduced eosinophil activation during sulphasalazine treatment suggest either a drug mediated, direct effect on eosinophils or an effect on the inflammatory mechanism stimulating eosinophils.
通过测量血清嗜酸性粒细胞阳离子蛋白（ECP）水平，研究嗜酸性粒细胞参与强直性脊柱炎（AS）的可能性，ECP是嗜酸性粒细胞的一种特异性颗粒成分。在一组48例AS患者中，我们发现其血清ECP平均水平较对照组增加了两倍（p<0.001）。患者和对照组的血液嗜酸性粒细胞计数相似。发现ECP与由红细胞沉降率（ESR）和血清触珠蛋白定义的炎症活动之间存在相关性。对15例患者在接受柳氮磺胺吡啶（2-3g/天）治疗三个月前后进行了研究。13/15的患者ECP水平下降，这与急性期反应的减轻和临床参数的改善相平行。结果表明嗜酸性粒细胞活化是AS炎症过程的一部分。柳氮磺胺吡啶治疗期间嗜酸性粒细胞活化降低的迹象表明，要么是药物对嗜酸性粒细胞的直接介导作用，要么是对刺激嗜酸性粒细胞的炎症机制的作用。
