Dexamethasone Inhibits Apoptosis of Eosinophils Isolated from Hypereosinophilic Patients

Authors: Debierre-Grockiego F.¹; Leduc I.²; Prin L.³; Gouilleux-Gruart V.¹

Source: Immunobiology, Volume 204, Number 4, December 2001 , pp. 517-523(7)

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Abstract:

Glucocorticoids reduce in vivo the number of eosinophils and are effective in treatment of blood and tissue hypereosinophilia. Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid known to induce in vitro apoptosis of eosinophils of healthy donors, and apoptosis may be a mechanism induced by glucocorticoids to reduce eosinophilia. Here we confirm that dexamethasone exerts a pro-apoptotic effect on eosinophils isolated from healthy subjects but that dexamethasone is not always a pro-apoptotic agent towards eosinophils from hypereosinophilic patients. Implications of these results in the resistance of some patients to a treatment by glucocorticoids are discussed.

Language: English

Document Type: Original article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1078/0171-2985-00060

Affiliations: 1: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Amiens 2: Medical Center of Abbeville 3: Department of Immunology, CHU de Lille, France

Publication date: 2001-12-01