Neutrophil side fluorescence: a new indicator for predicting the severity of patients with bronchiectasis

Abstract

Background Neutrophilic inflammation in the airway is a hallmark of bronchiectasis. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been reported to play an important role in the occurrence and development of bronchiectasis. Neutrophil side fluorescence is one of the characteristics of neutrophils that can reflect the activation of neutrophils and the formation of NETs. Objective To explore the relationship between the values of neutrophil side fluorescence (NEUT-SFL) in the peripheral blood of bronchiectasis patients, and the severity of the disease. Methods 82 patients with bronchiectasis from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University and were scored with Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI) (2019–2021). The clinical data such as the value of NEUT-SFL, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin levels were collected and retrospectively analyzed. NEUT-SFL values neutrophil count from 28 healthy subjects were also used to ascertain cut-off values. Results Based on the BSI scores, patients were divided into three categories as mild (32%), moderate (29%), and severe (39%). Our results showed that the values of NEUT-SFL were higher in bronchiectasis patients compared to healthy controls. The levels of NEUT-SFL positively correlated with the high BSI scores in patients (P = 0.037, r = 0.23) and negatively correlated with the lung function in these patients (r = − 0.35, P = 0.001). The area under the ROC curve was 0.813, the best cut-off was 42.145, indicating that NEUT-SFL values > 42.145 can potentially predict the severity of bronchiectasis. Conclusions The values of NEUT-SFL in the peripheral blood can be used for predicting the severity of bronchiectasis.

Causal effects of blood cells on breast cancer: Evidence from bidirectional Mendelian randomization combined with meta-analysis

“…Understanding how neutrophils react to various stimuli provides valuable insights into immune function and dysfunction, which is essential for developing therapies for infections, inflammatory disorders, and immune-related diseases. [ 23 , 24 ]…”

“…Understanding how neutrophils react to various stimuli provides valuable insights into immune function and dysfunction, which is essential for developing therapies for infections, inflammatory disorders, and immunerelated diseases. [23,24] In breast cancer, the neutrophil perturbation response (measured by the side fluorescence standard deviation of neutrophil 4 following alhydrogel stimulation with WDF dye) may act as a protective factor through several mechanisms. Firstly, a higher side fluorescence SD in neutrophil 4 suggests enhanced immune activation, boosting the anti-tumor response by stimulating T cells and NK cells.…”

Comprehensive profiling of chemokine and NETosis-associated genes in sarcopenia: construction of a machine learning-based diagnostic nomogram

“…In the context of neutrophilic inflammation, activated neutrophils migrate to inflamed regions and participate in inflammatory responses through various mechanisms, including degranulation, oxidative burst, and the formation of NETs ( 45 ). The release of NETs is a standard component of the neutrophil response to infection and inflammation ( 46 ), and this process is referred to as NETosis ( 47 ). Neutrophil-induced NETosis represents a distinct form of cell death, differing from apoptosis and necrosis, and significantly contributes to tissue damage ( 48 , 49 ).…”

Neutrophilic inflammation in bronchiectasis

“…Exhaled breath condensate MDA and sputum neutrophilia correlate with disease severity in patients with bronchiectasis, as confirmed by pulmonary function, disease duration, bacterial colonisation, BSI score and exacerbation rate [ 77 ]. Neutrophil side fluorescence can reflect neutrophil activation state and may be a predictive marker of severity in bronchiectasis [ 124 ].…”