In this review, we focus on the potential role, in asthma and lung immunity, of CCL18 a chemokine both constitutively expressed at high levels in the lung and induced in inflammatory conditions.
Our results suggest that CCL18 and YKL-40 levels and CHIT1 activity are enhanced in allergic airway inflammation and thus may contribute to airway remodelling in asthma.
These data show a new function for CCL18, i.e., the recruitment of Th2 cells and basophils, and suggest that CCL18 may play a predominant role in allergic asthma.
PBMC from asthmatics allergic to house dust mite cultured in the presence of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 (Der p 1) allergen secreted CCL18, 48 and 72 h after stimulation, whereas those from healthy donors did not.