Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Shenzhen University School of Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, P.R. China.
Department of Physiology and Chinese‑German Stem Cell Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2019 Apr;19(4):3210-3216. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2019.9966. Epub 2019 Feb 19.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by an imbalance of T‑helper (Th)1/Th2 cells and their cytokine profiles. Natural killer (NK) cells constitute a considerable subset of the lymphocyte population in the lungs, and provide protection against respiratory infection by fungi, bacteria and viruses. However, the mechanism by which NK cells are involved in asthma remains to be fully elucidated. The present study analyzed the dynamic changes of NK cells and their subsets during the development of the ovalbumin (OVA)‑induced allergic airway response. Lung tissues were histologically examined for cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion. The number, activity and cytokine‑secreting ability of NK cells was determined by flow cytometry. The results showed that the percentage of NK cells in the lung was decreased following OVA sensitization and challenge. However, NK cells exhibited enhanced activity and secreted more Th2 cytokines (IL‑5 and IL‑13) following OVA challenge. Furthermore, the proportion of CD11b‑ NK subsets increased with the development of asthma, and CD11b‑ CD27‑ NK cells were the primary NK subset producing Th2 cytokines. These findings suggest that, although NK cells are not the crucial type of lymphocytes involved in asthma, OVA induces NK cells to secrete Th2 cytokines that may be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma.
哮喘是一种慢性肺部疾病，其特征在于辅助性 T 细胞（Th）1/Th2 细胞及其细胞因子谱失衡。自然杀伤（NK）细胞是肺部淋巴细胞群中的一个相当大的亚群，可提供针对真菌、细菌和病毒引起的呼吸道感染的保护。然而，NK 细胞参与哮喘的机制仍有待充分阐明。本研究分析了卵清蛋白（OVA）诱导的变应性气道反应发展过程中 NK 细胞及其亚群的动态变化。通过组织学检查肺组织中的细胞浸润和黏液分泌过度。通过流式细胞术测定 NK 细胞的数量、活性和细胞因子分泌能力。结果表明，OVA 致敏和激发后，肺内 NK 细胞的比例降低。然而，OVA 激发后 NK 细胞表现出增强的活性并分泌更多的 Th2 细胞因子（IL-5 和 IL-13）。此外，哮喘的发展过程中 CD11b-NK 亚群的比例增加，CD11b-CD27-NK 细胞是产生 Th2 细胞因子的主要 NK 亚群。这些发现表明，尽管 NK 细胞不是哮喘中关键的淋巴细胞类型，但 OVA 诱导 NK 细胞分泌 Th2 细胞因子，可能参与哮喘的发病机制。
