Abstract
Over the past decade, a number of cytokines with chemoattractive properties (chemokines) have been identified. These molecules have been found to possess a vast range of functions as embyogenesis, hematopoiesis, and inflammation. Eosinophils, major of f ector cells in allergic inflammation, ex-press a chemokine receptor, CCR 3, and ligands for CCR 3 induce various eosinophil functions. Of these ligands, eotaxin is the most important for eosinophils. Eotaxin expression is upregulated in tissue of allergic inflammation and the levels of its expression correlate with eosinophil infiltration and disease severity. Eotaxin is produced mainly by epithelial cells and f ibroblasts under the control of Th2 cytokines (upregulation) and Th1 cytokines (inhibition). Eotaxin exhibits such pleiotropic functions as myelopoiesis, eosinophil mobilization from bone marrow, eosinophil-endothelial cell adhesion, degranulation, and superoxide generation. Thus, eotaxin may be a “key player” in pathogenesis of allergic diseases.
