Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  1999 Jun;9(2):192-199.

Eosinophil Activation Induced by RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T-Cell-Expressed-Secreted) in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis

• Chung HL
• Kim HH
• Lee EH
• Kim SG

Abstract

PURPOSE
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis in infants and also responsible for the production of asthma syndrome which can persist after the acute infection. This study evaluated the role of chemokine RANTES in airway inflammation in RSV bronchiolitis.
METHODS
RANTES in nasal secretion examined in 20 infants with RSV bronchiolitis (RSV group) and 22 infants with non-RSV bronchiolitis (non-RSV group) and 10 age-matched controls. Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) was determined to evaluate the RANTES-induced eosinophil activation. The severity of disease in RSV group was investigated by the presence of hypoxemia and the duration of wheezing.
RESULTS
RANTES in RSV group (131+/-77 pg/mL) was significantly higher than those in non-RSV group (55+/-41 pg/mL) and controls (16+/-13 pg/mL) (P=0.0002, P= 0.0001, respectively). ECP in RSV group (49+/-57 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in controls (6.4+/-12.3 ng/mL) (P<0.05). RANTES and ECP concentrations showed significant correlation in both RSV and non-RSV groups (r=0.59, P<0.01 and r=0.64, P<0.01, respectively). Concentration of RANTES in RSV group was not significantly higher in infants with severe symptoms than in those with mild symptoms.
CONCLUSION
RANTES, an effective eosinophil chemoattractant and activator, may play a role in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation and later airway hyperreactivity induced by RSV bronchiolitis in infants.

Keyword

RANTES; Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); Bronchiolitis

MeSH Terms

Anoxia
Asthma
Bronchiolitis*
Chemokine CCL5*
Eosinophil Cationic Protein
Eosinophils*
Humans
Infant
Inflammation
Respiratory Sounds
Respiratory Syncytial Viruses*
Chemokine CCL5
Eosinophil Cationic Protein