Chitin particles induce size-dependent but carbohydrate-independent innate eosinophilia

Large non‐phagocytosable beads, independent of the chemical composition, induce innate eosinophilia and macrophage activation with high arginase I expression. Murine Mφ that phagocytose CMP develop into M1; this response depends on the size and the chemical composition of the particles. In contrast, recent studies concluded that chitin particles induce M2 and eosinophil migration, promoting acquired Th2 immune responses against chitin‐containing microbes or allergens. This study examined whether these apparently inconsistent responses to chitin could be induced by variation in the size and chemical composition of the chitin particles. We compared the responses of Mφ with CMP, LCB, and Sephadex G‐100 beads (>40 μm). Beads were given i.p. to WT mice and to mice deficient in a CRTH2, a receptor for the eosinophil chemoattractant PGD2. In contrast to the M1 activation induced by CMP, i.p. administration of LCB or Sephadex beads induced within 24 h a CRTH2‐dependent peritoneal eosinophilia, as well as CRTH2‐independent activation of peritoneal Mφ that expressed Arg I, an M2 phenotype. LCB‐induced Mφ exhibited elevated Arg I and a surface MR, reduced surface TLR2 levels, and no change in the levels of CHI3L1 or IL‐10 production. Our results indicate that the effects of chitin in vivo are highly dependent on particle size and that large, nonphagocytosable beads, independent of their chemical composition, induce innate eosinophilia and activate Mφ expressing several M2, but not M1, phenotypes.