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Phenotypic characterization of lung macrophages in asthmatic patients: overexpression of CCL17

Phenotypic characterization of lung macrophages in asthmatic patients: overexpression of CCL17
Phenotypic characterization of lung macrophages in asthmatic patients: overexpression of CCL17
Background: studies with monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and animal models have suggested a role for alternatively activated (M2) macrophages in asthmatic inflammation, but in vivo evidence for this phenotype in human asthma is lacking.

Objective: to characterize the phenotype of lung macrophages from asthmatic patients in relation to disease severity and treatment.

Methods: M2 biomarkers were first identified by using MDMs exposed to T(H)2 cytokines and then used to phenotype sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages from 12 healthy control subjects, 12 patients with mild asthma, and 14 patients with moderate asthma and to assess the effects of corticosteroids and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors.

Results: sputum macrophages from asthmatic patients expressed significantly more CCL17 mRNA but less CD163 than macrophages from healthy subjects. However, none of the other M2 biomarkers were differentially expressed in asthmatic patients, and ex vivo BAL cells spontaneously produced similar amounts of M2 cytokines/chemokines (IL-10, CCL17, and CCL22). CCL17 mRNA overexpression correlated weakly but significantly with sputum eosinophilia (P = .0252) and was also observed in macrophages from patients with moderate asthma treated with inhaled steroids, suggesting relative insensitivity to inhibition by corticosteroids. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 inhibited basal CCL17 release from BAL cells and IL-4-stimulated release from MDMs.

Conclusions: this study does not support the existence in human asthma of the full M2 phenotype described to date but points to upregulation of CCL17 in both patients with mild and those with moderate asthma, providing a further source for this ligand of CCR4(+) cells that contributes to airways inflammation. CCL17 expression is corticosteroid resistant but suppressed by PI3K enzyme inhibitors

asthma, macrophage, chemokine, steroid
0091-6749
1404-1412.e7
Staples, Karl J.
e0e9d80f-0aed-435f-bd75-0c8818491fee
Hinks, Timothy S.
5ce6bb5f-4469-4041-b865-d1c8d8039676
Ward, Jon A.
38f36429-3122-460c-bfb5-06c109a0e067
Gunn, Victoria
80f87a8b-5320-44d3-9e19-7ea540449573
Smith, Caroline
c53cf3b5-c529-48a9-aa7a-f983b28c8ce8
Djukanović, Ratko
d9a45ee7-6a80-4d84-a0ed-10962660a98d
Staples, Karl J.
e0e9d80f-0aed-435f-bd75-0c8818491fee
Hinks, Timothy S.
5ce6bb5f-4469-4041-b865-d1c8d8039676
Ward, Jon A.
38f36429-3122-460c-bfb5-06c109a0e067
Gunn, Victoria
80f87a8b-5320-44d3-9e19-7ea540449573
Smith, Caroline
c53cf3b5-c529-48a9-aa7a-f983b28c8ce8
Djukanović, Ratko
d9a45ee7-6a80-4d84-a0ed-10962660a98d

Staples, Karl J., Hinks, Timothy S., Ward, Jon A., Gunn, Victoria, Smith, Caroline and Djukanović, Ratko (2012) Phenotypic characterization of lung macrophages in asthmatic patients: overexpression of CCL17. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 130 (6), 1404-1412.e7. (doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.07.023). (PMID:22981793)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: studies with monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and animal models have suggested a role for alternatively activated (M2) macrophages in asthmatic inflammation, but in vivo evidence for this phenotype in human asthma is lacking.

Objective: to characterize the phenotype of lung macrophages from asthmatic patients in relation to disease severity and treatment.

Methods: M2 biomarkers were first identified by using MDMs exposed to T(H)2 cytokines and then used to phenotype sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages from 12 healthy control subjects, 12 patients with mild asthma, and 14 patients with moderate asthma and to assess the effects of corticosteroids and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors.

Results: sputum macrophages from asthmatic patients expressed significantly more CCL17 mRNA but less CD163 than macrophages from healthy subjects. However, none of the other M2 biomarkers were differentially expressed in asthmatic patients, and ex vivo BAL cells spontaneously produced similar amounts of M2 cytokines/chemokines (IL-10, CCL17, and CCL22). CCL17 mRNA overexpression correlated weakly but significantly with sputum eosinophilia (P = .0252) and was also observed in macrophages from patients with moderate asthma treated with inhaled steroids, suggesting relative insensitivity to inhibition by corticosteroids. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 inhibited basal CCL17 release from BAL cells and IL-4-stimulated release from MDMs.

Conclusions: this study does not support the existence in human asthma of the full M2 phenotype described to date but points to upregulation of CCL17 in both patients with mild and those with moderate asthma, providing a further source for this ligand of CCR4(+) cells that contributes to airways inflammation. CCL17 expression is corticosteroid resistant but suppressed by PI3K enzyme inhibitors

Other
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e-pub ahead of print date: 14 September 2012
Published date: December 2012
Keywords: asthma, macrophage, chemokine, steroid
Organisations: Faculty of Medicine

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 352874
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/352874
ISSN: 0091-6749
PURE UUID: 2235ee9d-1444-40e8-a128-4d0b5dc4000a
ORCID for Karl J. Staples: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3844-6457
ORCID for Ratko Djukanović: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6039-5612

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Date deposited: 20 May 2013 10:18
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:27

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Contributors

Author: Karl J. Staples ORCID iD
Author: Timothy S. Hinks
Author: Jon A. Ward
Author: Victoria Gunn
Author: Caroline Smith

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