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Eosinophils as Major Player in Type 2 Inflammation: Autoimmunity and Beyond

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Cell Biology and Translational Medicine, Volume 14

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((CBTMED,volume 1347))

Abstract

Eosinophils are a subset of differentiated granulocytes which circulate in peripheral blood and home in several body tissues. Along with their traditional relevance in helminth immunity and allergy, eosinophils have been progressively attributed important roles in a number of homeostatic and pathologic situations. This review aims at summarizing available evidence about eosinophils functions in homeostasis, infections, allergic and autoimmune disorders, and solid and hematological cancers.

Their structural and biological features have been described, along with their physiological behavior. This includes their chemokines, cytokines, granular contents, and extracellular traps. Besides, pathogenic- and eosinophilic-mediated disorders have also been addressed, with the aim of highlighting their role in Th2-driven inflammation. In allergy, eosinophils are implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. They are also fundamentally involved in autoimmune disorders such as eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, acute and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. In infections, eosinophils are involved in protection not only from parasites but also from fungi, viruses, and bacteria. In solid cancers, local eosinophilic infiltration is variably associated with an improved or worsened prognosis, depending on the histotype. In hematologic neoplasms, eosinophilia can be the consequence of a dysregulated cytokine production or the result of mutations affecting the myeloid lineage.

Recent experimental evidence was thoroughly reviewed, with findings which elicit a complex role for eosinophils, in a tight balance between host defense and tissue damage. Eventually, emerging evidence about eosinophils in COVID-19 infection was also discussed.

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Abbreviations

CCL17:

C-C motif chemokine ligand 17

CCL22:

C-C motif chemokine ligand 22

CCR3:

C-C chemokine receptor type 3

FGF-2:

fibroblast growth factors 2

GM-CSF:

granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor

IFNγ:

interferon gamma

IL-10:

interleukin 10

IL-12:

interleukin 12

IL-17:

interleukin 17

IL-23:

interleukin 23

IL-25:

interleukin 25

IL-3:

interleukin 3

IL-4:

interleukin 4

IL-33:

interleukin 33

IL-5:

interleukin 5

IL-6:

interleukin 6

PTX3:

pentraxin 3

TGF-β:

transforming growth factor β

TNF-α:

tumor necrosis factor alpha α

TSLP:

thymic stromal lymphopoietin

Th1:

T helper 1

Th2:

T helper 2

NK cell:

natural killer cell

FcεRI:

high-affinity IgE receptor

FcεRIα:

high-affinity IgE receptor alpha chain

MBP:

major basic protein

ECP:

eosinophilic cationic protein

EPO:

eosinophil peroxidase

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

EDN:

eosinophil-derived neurotoxin

PMD:

piecemeal degranulation

EoSVs:

eosinophil sombrero vesicles

EET:

eosinophil extracellular traps

ILC2:

innate lymphoid cell type 2

PRRs:

pattern recognition receptors

PAMPs:

pathogen-associated molecular patterns

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

DAMPs:

damage-associated molecular patterns

TLRs:

toll-like receptors

APCs:

antigen-presenting cells

MHC-II:

major histocompatibility complex class II

DCs:

dendritic cells

GI tract:

gastrointestinal tract

RVS:

respiratory syncytial virus

HIV:

human immunodeficiency virus

AIDS:

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

SARS-CoV-2:

SARS-2 coronavirus

COVID-19:

coronavirus disease 19

BAL:

bronchoalveolar lavage

ADCC:

antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity

AD:

atopic dermatitis

AR:

allergic rhinitis

HES:

hypereosinophilic syndrome

AEP:

acute eosinophilic pneumonia

CEP:

chronic eosinophilic pneumonia

EGPA:

eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

ANCA:

antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies

TME:

tumor microenvironment

TATE:

tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia

CTLs:

cytotoxic T-lymphocytes

OSCC:

oral squamous cell carcinoma

DFS:

disease-free survival

MN-eos:

eosinophilia-associated myeloid neoplasms

FGFR1:

fibroblast growth factor receptor 1

PDGFRα:

platelet-derived growth factor receptor a

PDGFRβ:

platelet-derived growth factor receptor b

MPN:

myeloproliferative neoplasms

CEL-NOS:

chronic eosinophilic leukemia-not otherwise specified

CML:

chronic myeloid leukemia

Eos-CML:

hypereosinophilic variant

HL:

Hodgkin’s lymphoma

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Acknowledgments

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All authors declare they have no conflict of interest and they have not received any financial support for this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Humanitas Clinical and Research Center – IRCCS, Milan, Italy

    Marco Folci, Giacomo Ramponi, Ivan Arcari, Aurora Zumbo & Enrico Brunetta

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy

    Marco Folci & Enrico Brunetta

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  1. Marco Folci
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  1. (emeritus) Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Kursad Turksen

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Folci, M., Ramponi, G., Arcari, I., Zumbo, A., Brunetta, E. (2021). Eosinophils as Major Player in Type 2 Inflammation: Autoimmunity and Beyond. In: Turksen, K. (eds) Cell Biology and Translational Medicine, Volume 14. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 1347. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2021_640

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