Extracellular deposition of eosinophil granule major basic protein in lymph
nodes of patients with Hodgkin's disease
JH Butterfield, GM Kephart, PM Banks and GJ Gleich
Lymph nodes from each of the four histologic types of Hodgkin's disease
were examined for the presence of eosinophils and for eosinophil
degranulation by immunofluorescent localization of eosinophil granule major
basic protein (MBP). Eosinophil degranulation shown by MBP deposition
outside of eosinophils was found in six of eight nodes from patients with
nodular sclerosing disease and in two of eight nodes from patients with
lymphocyte depletion-type disease. Three nodes of the mixed cellularity
type, one node of the lymphocyte predominance type, and one lymph node of
the lymphocyte depletion type showed one or two small foci of extracellular
MBP deposition. Lymph nodes from patients without Hodgkin's disease showed
no extracellular deposition of MBP. Large numbers of eosinophils were found
in seven of eight nodes of the nodular sclerosing variant, but were less
frequently seen among the other types of Hodgkin's disease. The presence of
extracellular MBP in lymph nodes of patients with Hodgkin's disease
indicates that eosinophil degranulation commonly occurs and suggests that
the released eosinophil granule proteins may participate in the
inflammatory reaction in this disorder more extensively than is presently
appreciated.
Volume 68,
Issue 6,
pp. 1250-1256,
12/01/1986
Copyright © 1986 by The American Society of Hematology
