The most prevalent cause of autumnal asthma in North China

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Immunol.

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are closely related, and AR is regarded as an important risk factor for the onset of asthma. However, the pathogenesis of the development of asthma from AR is still undefined.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of asthma from AR by comparing the transcriptome features of patients with AR with and without asthma.MethodsPatients with AR with or without asthma caused by weed pollen who presented to the Allergy Clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were recruited for this study. Peripheral blood samples of all the patients were collected during the weed pollen season (September) when the patients had allergic symptoms and outside the pollen season (November) when the patients had no symptoms. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enriched immune pathways between the patients with AR with asthma (AR-asthma group) and those without asthma (AR group) were identified. In addition, the expression levels of some pivotal differentially expressed RNAs were quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).ResultsDuring the weed pollen season, the immune-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms with P value < 0.05, enriched by the upregulated genes in the AR-asthma group compared to the AR group included antifungal humoral response, neutrophil-mediated killing of bacterium, antibacterial humoral response, antimicrobial humoral immune response mediated by antimicrobial peptides, and regulation of the T cell receptor signaling pathway. The immune-related GO terms with P values <0.05 enriched by downregulated genes were positive regulation of natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, microglial cell activation, natural killer cell activation, and leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity. The GO term of antimicrobial humoral immune response mediated by antimicrobial peptides was upregulated both during and outside the pollen season, and the upregulated expression of three DEGs (LTF, PF4, and ELANE) included in this term was verified through quantitative PCR.ConclusionsThe activation of the antimicrobial immune response mediated by neutrophils and the depression of cytotoxicity mediated by natural killer cells may play roles in the progression from AR to asthma.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upregulated antimicrobial immune response mediated by neutrophils in the development from allergic rhinitis to asthma

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Immunol.

“…In Korea, Humulus pollen constitutes approximately 18% of total pollen during the pollination period 4 . In China, Jia et al first discovered that Humulus pollen is an important allergen in summer and autumn, second only to Artemisia pollen 5 . Among individuals with fall hay fever, 59% were positive for H. scandens ‐specific serum IgE 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4 In China, Jia et al first discovered that Humulus pollen is an important allergen in summer and autumn, second only to Artemisia pollen. 5 Among individuals with fall hay fever, 59% were positive for H. scandensspecific serum IgE. 6 The symptoms of asthma triggered by H. scandens pollen are reportedly more serious than those induced by Artemisia pollen, although the mechanism underlying this effect has not been elucidated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishment and characterization of murine models of asthma and subcutaneous immunotherapy for Humulus pollen allergy

Immunity Inflam & Disease

Yin

2021

Introduction Humulus pollen is an important cause of allergic asthma in East Asia. There have been some murine models for Humulus pollen allergy established by intraperitoneal (IP) sensitization and nasal drip stimulation, but they were not comprehensive enough. Here, we used atomized inhalation for challenge and compared the subcutaneous (SC) and IP sensitization routes to determine the optimal method to establish a model of asthma induced by Humulus pollen. Subsequently, we tried to develop a rapid subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) model for Humulus allergy. Methods BALB/c Mice were sensitized through the SC or IP route, with respective reference to previously established sensitization methods and allergen dosing, and challenged with nebulized Humulus pollen extract to induce asthma. To compare the two sensitization methods, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammatory cell infiltration, allergen‐specific serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E (sIgE) levels, cytokine levels, and lung histopathology were assessed. The effects of SCIT (once every other day for 16 days) on airway inflammation, AHR, sIgE, and allergen‐specific serum IgG2a (sIgG2a) levels were evaluated by using the model established in this study. Results Although mice sensitized by the SC or IP routes both showed AHR and airway inflammation, the SC route elicited significantly higher levels of sIgE, eosinophil inflammation, and T helper type 2 cytokines, compared with the IP route. SCIT in the treatment group significantly reduced the titers of sIgE, enhanced the titers of sIgG2a, and effectively alleviated pulmonary inflammation and AHR, compared with the vehicle group. Conclusions The SC route can be used to establish a murine model of Humulus pollen allergy that recapitulates the characteristics of clinical allergic asthma. Short‐term SCIT can significantly improve symptoms and pathophysiology in asthmatic mice.

“…Asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by bronchial inflammation, airway hyperreactivity, and reversible airflow limitation; it is often caused by inhalation of allergens [1].Pollens are important outdoor allergens associated with allergic asthma and seasonal rhinitis [2].Humulus scandens(H.scandens , also known as Humulus japonicas or Lücao in Chinese) is a widespread weed in East Asia [3].In Korea, Humulus pollen constitutes approximately 18% of total pollen during the pollination period [4]. In China, Jia et al first discovered that Humulus pollen is an important allergen in summer and autumn, second only to Artemisiapollen [5].Among individuals with fall hay fever, 59% were positive for H.scandens -specific serum IgE [6]. The symptoms of asthma triggered by H.scandenspollen are reportedly more serious than those induced byArtemisia pollen, although the mechanism underlying this effect has not been elucidated [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishment and characterization of murine models of asthma and subcutaneous immunotherapy for Humulus pollen allergy

Yin

2020

Preprint

Humulus pollen is an important cause of allergic asthma in East Asia. There have been some murine models for Humulus pollen allergy established by intraperitoneal (IP) sensitization and nasal drip stimulation, but they were not comprehensive enough. Here, we used atomized inhalation for challenge and compared the subcutaneous (SC) and IP sensitization routes to determine the optimal method to establish a model of asthma induced by Humulus pollen. Subsequently, we tried to develop a rapid subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) model. Mice were sensitized through the SC or IP route and challenged with Humulus pollen extract to induce asthma. To compare the two sensitization methods, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammatory cell infiltration, allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E (sIgE) levels, cytokine levels, and lung histopathology were assessed. The effects of SCIT (once every other day for 16 days) on airway inflammation, AHR, sIgE, and allergen-specific serum IgG2a (sIgG2a) levels were evaluated by using the model established. Although mice sensitized by the SC or IP routes both showed AHR and airway inflammation, the SC route elicited significantly higher levels of sIgE, eosinophil inflammation, and T helper type 2 cytokines, compared with the IP route. SCIT in the treatment group significantly reduced the titers of sIgE, enhanced the titers of sIgG2a, and effectively alleviated pulmonary inflammation and AHR, compared with the vehicle group. These observations indicate that the SC route can be a better sensitization route than IP route for establishing a murine model of Humulus pollen allergy; short-term SCIT improved symptoms and pathophysiology in asthmatic mice.