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As the carbohydrate lacto-N-fucopentaose III (CD15 antigen or X-determinant) and its sialylated derivative sialyl-Lewis X are involved in the adhesion of cells rolling along the surface of endothelial cells, experiments were done to study the presence of these molecules on human eosinophils from patients with the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. Normal-density eosinophils from some patients showed higher levels of expression for lacto-N-fucopentaose III than light-density eosinophils. In contrast, sialyl-Lewis X was highly expressed by light-density eosinophils. Activation of normal-density eosinophils with calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in increased expression of these molecules for a short time. Monoclonal antibodies to these carbohydrates stimulated eosinophils to secrete eosinophil cationic protein, but not eosinophil peroxidase, and acted as costimulatory signals for C3b-induced degranulation of eosinophil cationic protein. It was suggested that CD15 and sialyl-Lewis X might contribute to eosinophil-mediated tissue injury in patients with the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

The effects of the interactions between eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) and neutrophils were studied. It is shown that binding of EPO to neutrophils results on the one hand in reversible inhibition of EPO peroxidase activity and, on the other, in an increased neutrophil aggregation and neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cell monolayers. After prolonged periods of exposure to EPO, neutrophils also show a decreased ability to exclude the vital dye erythrosin B. The reversible inhibition of EPO activity may represent a means of keeping under control the oxidative potential of EPO, while the increased neutrophil aggregation and adherence to endothelial cells suggest that EPO may influence at least two key events of inflammation, that is, the margination of neutrophils and/or their accumulation in the inflammatory site.