Neurotoxicity of human eosinophils

Neurotoxicity of human eosinophils.

Eosinophils contain a substance that is neurotoxic when injected intracerebrally or intrathecally into laboratory animals-an effect known as the "Gordon phenomenon." We found neurotoxic activity in eosinophils from three patients with eosinophilic syndromes by injecting cell preparations into rabbits and guinea pigs. These animals developed a syndrome of muscular rigidity and ataxia, progressin...

Phagocytosis by human eosinophils.

E OSINOPHILS were first recognized as a distinctive type of granulocyte over 100 years ago,’ and were observed to be capable of phagocytosis by Mesnil in 1895.2 Despite a voluminous literature on the morphology and functions of these cells, their precise role in normal man and in various diseases remains unclear. In general, eosinophils from higher mammals resemble other granulocytic cells in t...

Activated human eosinophils.

Surface markers of human eosinophils.

Peripheral blood eosinophils from patients with eosinophilia and from healthy subjects were studied for surface immunoglobulins, receptors for the Fc region of IgG, complement receptors, and spontaneous rosette formation with sheep and mouse erythrocytes. Eosinophils were found to have receptors for complement and for aggregated IgG, and to have the same two types of complement receptors as do ...

Analysis of the survival of mature human eosinophils: interleukin-5 prevents apoptosis in mature human eosinophils.

We and other groups have previously shown that interleukin-5 (IL-5) maintained the viability of mature eosinophils in an in vitro liquid culture system. Mature eosinophils did not proliferate but their survival was maintained in the presence of IL-5. Using this culture system, we investigated the mechanism of IL-5-mediated survival. In the absence of human IL-5 (hIL-5) mature eosinophils succum...