[Infiltration of inflammatory cells and expression of adhesion molecules in bronchial mucosa of patients with asthma].

To study the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the expression of adhesion molecules, I examined bronchial tissue from atopic patients with asthma. T lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells in samples of bronchial mucosa were stained with monoclonal antibodies. The expression of adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, ELAM-1, and PADGEM) in epithelium, endothelium, or both, were observed. Samples were obtained by biopsy from patients with asthma and from healthy control subjects. The numbers of mucosal T lymphocytes, eosinophils, and mast cells were significantly higher in tissue from the patients than in tissue from the control subjects. Immunostaining for ICAM-1 was observed in both the epithelium and endothelium, but staining for VCAM-1 ELAM-1, and PADGEM was seen only in the endothelium. Expression of adhesion molecules except ELAM-1 was found to differ significantly between patients and control subjects. Expression of VCAM-1 in endothelium correlated significantly with the number of eosinophils, and expression of ICAM-1 in epithelium correlated significantly with the number of mast cells. These results suggest that expression of adhesion molecules in bronchial mucosa play an important role in the migration of inflammatory cells in patients with asthma.