Alveolar macrophages of asthmatics revealed increased mRNA expression of CCL13, CCL17 and CLEC10A in response to allergen challenge as well as increased surface expression of CD86.
Our findings demonstrate that MCP-4 is upregulated in the airways of patients with asthma and suggest that MCP-4 plays a role in the recruitment of eosinophils into the airways of patients with asthma.
Although eotaxin and MCP-4 mRNA were widely expressed in the lungs of subjects with asthma, their expression was particularly evident within the bronchial epithelium and inflammatory cells.
We examined the expression of eotaxin, eotaxin-2, RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein-3 (MCP-3), MCP-4, and CCR3 in the bronchial mucosa from atopic (AA) and nonatopic (intrinsic; NAA) asthmatics and compared our findings with atopic (AC) and nonatopic nonasthmatic controls (NC).
MCP-4 mRNA was found in cells collected in bronchoalveolar lavage of asthmatic and nonasthmatic subjects and was prominently expressed in human lung and heart.