Eosinophil-mediated inflammation in the absence of eosinophilia

Abstract

The increase of eosinophil levels is a hallmark of type-2 inflammation. Blood eosinophil counts act as a convenient biomarker for asthma phenotyping and the selection of biologics, and they are even used as a prognostic factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019. However, the circulating eosinophil count does not always reflect tissue eosinophilia and vice versa. The mismatch of blood and tissue eosinophilia can be seen in various clinical settings. For example, blood eosinophil levels in patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia are often within normal range despite the marked symptoms and increased number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Histological studies using immunostaining for eosinophil granule proteins have revealed the extracellular deposition of granule proteins coincident with pathological conditions, even in the absence of a significant eosinophil infiltrate. The marked deposition of eosinophil granule proteins in tissue is often associated with cytolytic degranulation. Recent studies have indicated that extracellular trap cell death (ETosis) is a major mechanism of cytolysis. Cytolytic ETosis is a total cell degranulation in which cytoplasmic and nuclear contents, including DNA and histones that act as alarmins, are also released. In the present review, eosinophil-mediated inflammation in such mismatch conditions is discussed.