Department of Microbiology/Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.
Department of Medical Science, Respiratory Medicine, and Allergology, Uppsala University and University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Inflammation. 2021 Jun;44(3):1060-1068. doi: 10.1007/s10753-020-01401-y. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Allergic asthma (AA) is a complex disorder with heterogeneous features of airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and remodeling. The increase of airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is a fundamental component of bronchial remodeling in AA, yet the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical outcomes associated with ASM modulation are still elusive. The objective of this study is to compare the expression level of β-dystroglycan (β-DG) in ASM in AA subjects and a healthy control group and to investigate the relationship between eosinophils and β-DG in ASM in patients with AA. Thirteen AA patients and seven control subjects were analyzed for the ASM area and eosinophil cells. Bronchial biopsies were stained by β-DG and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) using immunohistochemistry. The proportion of ASM with β-DG staining was greater in those with AA than in the healthy control group (mean (95% CI) (28.3% (23.8-32.7%) vs. 16.4% (14.1-18.5%), P < 0.0001). The number of ECP positive cells was higher in patients with AA than in the control group (4056 (3819-4296) vs. 466 (395-537) cells/mm P < 0.0001). In AA, the number of ECP positive cells was significantly correlated to the β-DG expression in ASM (r = 0.77, P = 0.002). There is an increased β-DG expression in ASM and a higher number of ECP positive cells in the bronchial biopsy of those with AA than those in the control group. The increased expression of β-DG in ASM in AA subjects correlates with the number of eosinophils, suggesting a role for this cell in airway remodeling in AA.
变应性哮喘（AA）是一种具有气道高反应性、炎症和重塑等多种特征的复杂疾病。气道平滑肌（ASM）质量的增加是 AA 中支气管重塑的基本组成部分，然而，与 ASM 调节相关的病理生理机制和临床结果仍不清楚。本研究的目的是比较 AA 患者和健康对照组 ASM 中β-连接蛋白（β-DG）的表达水平，并探讨 AA 患者 ASM 中嗜酸性粒细胞与β-DG 的关系。分析了 13 例 AA 患者和 7 例对照组的 ASM 面积和嗜酸性粒细胞细胞数。采用免疫组织化学法对支气管活检标本进行β-DG 和嗜酸性粒细胞阳离子蛋白（ECP）染色。AA 患者的 ASM 中β-DG 染色比例高于健康对照组（平均值（95%可信区间）（28.3%（23.8-32.7%）比 16.4%（14.1-18.5%），P<0.0001）。AA 患者的 ECP 阳性细胞数高于对照组（4056（3819-4296）比 466（395-537）个细胞/mm，P<0.0001）。在 AA 中，ECP 阳性细胞数与 ASM 中β-DG 表达呈显著正相关（r=0.77，P=0.002）。AA 患者的支气管活检中 ASM 中β-DG 表达增加，ECP 阳性细胞数增加。AA 患者 ASM 中β-DG 的表达增加与嗜酸性粒细胞的数量相关，提示该细胞在 AA 中的气道重塑中起作用。
