ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ 368
References..................................................................................................................................... 368
Diseases of the airways, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
involve a complex interplay of many inflammatory and structural cell types, all of which can release
inflammatory mediators including cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and adhesion molecules.
Activated eosinophils are considered particularly important in asthma, contributing to epithelial
cell damage, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, plasma exudation, and edema of the airway mucosa,
as well as smooth muscle hypertrophy and mucus plugging, through the release of enzymes and
proteins [1-3]. In COPD, inflammation of the small airways and lung parenchyma with the
involvement of neutrophils, macrophages and cytotoxic (CD8
