Role of the chemokines RANTES, monocyte chemotactic proteins‐3 and ‐4, and eotaxins‐1 and ‐2 in childhood asthma

Eosinophil recruitment into the airways is a feature of asthma in children. However, the mechanisms by which these cells migrate into the airways are not fully understood. The present study investigated the presence of the eosinophil-activating chemokines regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemotactic proteins (MCP)-3 and -4, and eotaxins-1 and -2 in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid obtained from both asthmatic (n=10, age 6-10 yrs) and normal children (n=10, age 5-10 yrs). Measurements of chemokines in BAL fluid showed that levels of RANTES, MCPs-3 and -4, and eotaxins-1 and -2 were significantly increased in fluid obtained from asthmatic children when compared with normal children. Among the different chemokines, RANTES was the cytokine released in greatest…