Expression of CD44 and integrins in bronchial mucosa of normal and mildly asthmatic subjects.

We have investigated the expression of cell surface markers and leucocyte cell adhesion molecules by immunohistochemistry in bronchial biopsies from 10 mild atopic asthmatics and 8 normal, nonatopic subjects. Significantly increased numbers of eosinophils (p<0.01) were evident in the bronchial submucosa of asthmatic subjects. In epithelium there were more CD44+ (p<0.02) and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1)+ (p<0.06) leucocytes in asthmatics than in normal subjects. Bronchial epithelial cells stained positively with anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies (moAb) in both groups; however, when the staining was expressed as percentage of the total basement membrane, a considerable and highly significant increase was observed in the asthmatics (median 80 vs 22%, p=0.003). Few leucocytes were positive for very late activation antigen (VLA)-1, VLA-2 and VLA-4. The moAb for VLA-6 stained the basement membrane of the bronchial epithelium; while intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) were constitutively expressed in endothelium. A positive correlation was found between LFA-1+ cells and activated eosinophils (EG2+) in the submucosa (p<0.005; r(s)=0.80). We conclude that even in mild asthma there is evidence of increased expression of cell surface ligands, and suggest that adhesive mechanisms play a role both in cell recruitment and disease activity.