Method of detecting eosinophil degranulation in the respiratory tract

1. A method of detecting eosinophil degranulation in a respiratory tract passage of a subject, the method comprising:

administering radiolabeled heparin to the respiratory tract passage of the subject, wherein the radiolabeled heparin binds to one or more eosinophil granule proteins in the mucosal tissue of the respiratory tract passage; and

detecting the radiolabeled heparin in the mucosal tissue of the respiratory tract passage by one of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), conventional or computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or combinations thereof, hereby wherein detecting the radiolabeled heparin in the mucosal tissue is indicative of eosinophil degranulation in the respiratory tract passage of the subject.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiolabeled heparin binds to the one or more eosinophil granule proteins to form a radiolabeled heparin eosinophil granule protein complex, and wherein detecting the radiolabeled heparin comprises detecting the radiolabeled heparin eosinophil granule protein complex by one of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), conventional or computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more eosinophil granule proteins comprise one or more of major basic protein 1 (MBP-1), major basic protein 2 (MBP-2), eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EDN), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiolabel is 99m Tc.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory tract passage is selected from the group consisting of a nose, a sinus, a lung, and a bronchus of the subject.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory tract passage is a paranasal sinus cavity.

7. A method of producing a medical image of a respiratory tract passage of a subject, the method comprising:

administering radiolabeled heparin to the respiratory tract passage of the subject, wherein the radiolabeled heparin binds to one or more eosinophil granule proteins in the mucosal tissue of the respiratory tract passage; and

detecting the radiolabeled heparin by one of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), conventional or computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or combinations thereof, thereby producing a medical image of the respiratory tract passage of the subject.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the radiolabeled heparin binds to the one or more eosinophil granule proteins to form a radiolabeled heparin eosinophil granule protein complex and wherein detecting the radiolabeled heparin comprises detecting the radiolabeled heparin eosinophil granule protein complex by one of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), conventional or computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more eosinophil granule proteins comprise one or more of major basic protein 1 (MBP-1), major basic protein 2 (MBP-2), eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EDN), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO).

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the radiolabel is 99m Tc.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the respiratory tract passage is selected from the group consisting of a nose, a sinus, a lung, and a bronchus of the subject.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the respiratory tract passage is a paranasal sinus cavity.