Abstract
To investigate whether eosinophils are stimulated in
vivo or have acquired an increased susceptibility to stimuli
from the coagulation cascade, the release of eosinophil proteins was
compared for three groups of donors with different levels of serum
IgE. (1) with atopic dermatitis (s-IgE > 5000 IU/ml, n = 11);
(2) with inhalant allergy (200 < s-IgE < 2 000 IU/ml,
n = 10); and (3) non-allergic (s- IgE < 100 IU/ml, n = 10). The
levels of eosinophil cationic protein and eosinophil protein X (ECP,
EPX) were determined in serum (clotting time = 2.0 h) and plasma.
Serum and plasma ECP in normal donors demonstrated large
intra-personal variations (C.V. 50–80%), but serum-ECP
(mean 8.1 ng/ml) was clearly distinguishable from plasma ECP
(mean 1.0 ng/ml) by a factor of 8 (range: 5.6–11.6). The
ECP released during clotting was markedly increased in the atopic
dermatitis group (serum:plasma ratio 13.5,