Chloride Channel 3 Channels in the Activation and Migration of Human Blood Eosinophils in Allergic Asthma

By Dr Deepu

In the August issue of AJRCMB, Gaurav and colleagues report, for the first timein their study, a critical role for chloride channel 3 (CLC3) channels in the migration and activation of human blood eosinophils. The researchers also report, in addition to the known presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) 2, the existence of subtypes of NOX, including NOX1, NOX3, NOX5, dual oxidase (DUOX) 1, and DUOX2, albeit at low levels, in human blood eosinophils. Very high levels of NOX2 messenger RNA transcripts were found in the eosinophils of subjects with moderate to severe asthma compared with subjects with mild to moderate asthma and healthy subjects, suggesting a positive correlation between the expression of NOX2 messenger RNA transcripts and disease severity. The authors conclude that their findings provide a novel target in regulating eosinophil infiltration and activation in allergic airway inflammation in asthma.