Bai Ruifeng, Liu Bingqian, Li Tianshui, Zhou Heng, Yue Xinyang, Liu Ying, Shan Yining, Li Zhigang, Wei Yongjie, Wu Jun
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
J Thorac Dis. 2025 Mar 31;17(3):1502-1511. doi: 10.21037/jtd-24-1139. Epub 2025 Mar 27.
Particulate matter, ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM) is closely associated with asthma, and a high-fat diet is also a risk factor for the condition. In many cities in China, exposure to PM and consumption of a high-fat diet coexist. The Th1/Th2 balance is the immunological foundation for the onset and progression of asthma, and it is more accurate to describe asthma symptoms in terms of changes in this balance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PM and high-fat diet the combined effects on Th1/Th2 balance in asthma immune.
Given this background, our study examined the effects of PM and high-fat diets on the Th1/Th2 balance and proposed potential molecular mechanisms for asthma development induced by these factors. In this study, male BALB/c mice and ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized asthma mice subjected to either a normal or high-fat diet were exposed to PM or filtered air for one month. We evaluated the effects of PM and high-fat diets on asthma using histopathology, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, transcriptome sequencing, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
We found that PM exposure increased the secretion of Th2-related inflammatory mediators, while a high-fat diet increased the secretion of Th1-related inflammatory mediators. However, the combined effects still predominantly favored a Th2 skew. PM exposure shifted the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th2, whereas a high-fat diet shifted it toward Th1. The combination of PM exposure and a high-fat diet resulted in a less pronounced Th2 polarization compared to PM exposure alone.
PM exposure and short-term high-fat diet both exacerbate asthma but there is an opposite direction of modulation of the Th1/Th2 balance.
颗粒物，即空气动力学等效直径≤2.5 µm的环境颗粒物（PM）与哮喘密切相关，高脂饮食也是该病症的一个风险因素。在中国的许多城市，人们同时面临PM暴露和高脂饮食的情况。Th1/Th2平衡是哮喘发病和进展的免疫学基础，用这种平衡的变化来描述哮喘症状更为准确。因此，本研究的目的是探讨PM和高脂饮食对哮喘免疫中Th1/Th2平衡的联合影响。
基于此背景，我们的研究考察了PM和高脂饮食对Th1/Th2平衡的影响，并提出了这些因素诱发哮喘发展的潜在分子机制。在本研究中，将雄性BALB/c小鼠和经卵清蛋白（OVA）致敏的哮喘小鼠分为正常饮食或高脂饮食组，使其暴露于PM或过滤空气中一个月。我们使用组织病理学、酶联免疫吸附测定、转录组测序和定量聚合酶链反应（PCR）来评估PM和高脂饮食对哮喘的影响。
我们发现，暴露于PM会增加Th2相关炎症介质的分泌，而高脂饮食会增加Th1相关炎症介质的分泌。然而，联合作用仍主要倾向于Th2偏移。暴露于PM会使Th1/Th2平衡向Th2方向偏移，而高脂饮食会使其向Th1方向偏移。与单独暴露于PM相比，PM暴露与高脂饮食的联合作用导致Th2极化不那么明显。
暴露于PM和短期高脂饮食都会加重哮喘，但对Th1/Th2平衡的调节方向相反。
