Cytokines in allergic eosinophilic airway inflammation.

Allergic airway inflammation is characterized by peribronchial eosinophil accumulation within the submucosa surrounding the airways. The development of appropriate animal models to dissect the critical mechanisms involved in the deleterious responses is crucial for the development of proper therapeutic approaches. We have utilized a model of allergic airway inflammation induced by intratracheal challenge with parasite (Schistosoma mansoni) egg antigen in presensitized mice. The use of this model to examine the eosinophil recruitment has identified key cytokines involved in the responses. These cytokines include interleukin-4 and tumor necrosis factor, which appear to act as early response mediators as well as C-C chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha and RANTES, which act directly on eosinophil recruitment.