[Cell biology of bronchial asthma: interesting new methods. Intracellular determination of cytokines in T-cells and basic proteins in eosinophilic granulocytes using flow cytometry].

Clinical studies on pathophysiological mechanisms of asthma bronchiale require methods of investigation that are simple, reproducible and rapid in respect of analysing relevant inflammatory cells and mechanisms. The article presents two new flow cytometric methods enabling on single-cell level the determination of expression of intracellular cytokines in T-cells and of basic proteins in eosinophilic granulocytes. Both techniques of examination can be performed either with whole blood or with cells from bronchoalveolar lavage without preceding cell separation techniques. First results reveal interesting new aspects with regard to the expression of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-5 in T-cells, and of ECP and EPO in eosinophils in bronchial asthma.