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Author Spotlight: Investigating the Pathophysiology of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Published on: May 10, 2024
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Living without eosinophils: evidence from mouse and man
David J Jackson1,2, Ian D Pavord3
1Guy's Severe Asthma Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK David.Jackson@gstt.nhs.uk.
The European Respiratory Journal
|August 11, 2022
Summary
Therapeutic eosinophil depletion is safe, as the absence of these immune cells does not harm health. Human immune systems possess redundancy, ensuring well-being even without eosinophils, crucial for treating eosinophilic inflammation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Eosinophils are traditionally viewed as key immune cells for fighting helminths and pathogens.
- Therapeutic depletion of eosinophils is considered for treating eosinophilic inflammation in diseases like asthma and hypereosinophilic syndrome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the safety and health implications of therapeutic eosinophil depletion.
- To determine if reducing eosinophil counts compromises host defense or leads to other illnesses.
Main Methods:
- Review of evidence from mouse models with ablated eosinophil lineages.
- Analysis of observations in human patients naturally lacking eosinophils.
- Evaluation of data from studies involving eosinophil-depleting therapies.
Main Results:
- The absence of eosinophils does not appear to be detrimental to overall health.
- Evidence suggests sufficient immune redundancy in humans to compensate for eosinophil absence.
- Homeostatic roles of eosinophils, if any, are adequately compensated for in the human immune system.
Conclusions:
- Therapeutic eosinophil depletion is likely safe for patients.
- Human immune system evolution has provided redundancy, enabling individuals to remain healthy without eosinophils.
- The risk of infection or illness due to eosinophil absence is not supported by current evidence.
