Interactions between alveolar macrophages, monocytes, and granulocytes. Implications for airway inflammation.

The pathology of bronchial asthma is characterized by airway inflammation. There is plugging of the airway lumen, epithelial damage, mucosal edema, and smooth muscle hypertrophy. In addition, there is substantial infiltration of the airways with inflammatory cells consisting of eosinophils, neutrophils, and mononuclear cells. The findings that these cell types can be activated by transmembrane stimuli to generate potent proinflammatory mediators and that monokines can augment the inflammatory potential of granulocytes support the view that these cells either alone or through their positive interactions may have an important role to play in the pathophysiology of the asthmatic condition.