CCR3-dependent eosinophil recruitment is regulated by sialyltransferase ST3Gal-IV.

Eosinophil recruitment is a pathological hallmark of many allergic and helminthic diseases. Here, we investigated chemokine receptor CCR3-induced eosinophil recruitment in sialyltransferase St3gal4-/- mice. We found a marked decrease in eosinophil extravasation into CCL11-stimulated cremaster muscles and into the inflamed peritoneal cavity of St3gal4-/- mice. Ex vivo flow chamber assays uncovered reduced adhesion of St3gal4-/- compared to wild type eosinophils. Using flow cytometry, we show reduced binding of CCL11 to St3gal4-/- eosinophils. Further, we noted reduced binding of CCL11 to its chemokine receptor CCR3 isolated from St3gal4-/- eosinophils. This was accompanied by almost absent CCR3 internalization of CCL11-stimulated St3gal4-/- eosinophils. Applying an ovalbumin-induced allergic airway disease model, we found a dramatic reduction in eosinophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid following intratracheal challenge with ovalbumin in St3gal4-deficient mice. Finally, we also investigated tissue-resident eosinophils under homeostatic conditions and found reduced resident eosinophil numbers in the thymus and adipose tissue in the absence of ST3Gal-IV. Taken together, our results demonstrate an important role of ST3Gal-IV in CCR3-induced eosinophil recruitment in vivo rendering this enzyme an attractive target in reducing unwanted eosinophil infiltration in various disorders including allergic diseases.

Muscle eosinophilia is a hallmark of chronic disease in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a progressive myopathy caused by the aberrant increased expression of the DUX4 retrogene in skeletal muscle cells. The DUX4 gene encodes a transcription factor that functions in zygotic genome activation and then is silenced in most adult somatic tissues. DUX4 expression in FSHD disrupts normal muscle cell function; however, the downstream pathogenic mechanisms are still unclear. Histologically, FSHD affected muscles show a characteristic dystrophic phenotype that is often accompanied by a pronounced immune cell infiltration, but the role of the immune system in FSHD is not understood. Previously, we used ACTA1;FLExDUX4 FSHD-like mouse models varying in severity as discovery tools to identify increased Interleukin 6 and microRNA-206 levels as serum biomarkers for FSHD disease severity. In this study, we use the ACTA1;FLExDUX4 chronic FSHD-like mouse model to provide insight into the immune response to DUX4 expression in skeletal muscles. We demonstrate that these FSHD-like muscles are enriched with the chemoattractant eotaxin and the cytotoxic eosinophil peroxidase, and exhibit muscle eosinophilia. We further identified muscle fibers with positive staining for eosinophil peroxidase in human FSHD muscle. Our data supports that skeletal muscle eosinophilia is a hallmark of FSHD pathology.

Association between CCL5, CCL11, and CCL17 polymorphisms and atopic dermatitis risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common and recurrent inflammatory disease with strong genetic susceptibility. The abnormal production of chemokines plays an important role in the occurrence and development of AD. METHODS: A comprehensive online literature search was performed in databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP China Science and Technology Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library to retrieve relevant articles published from January 2000 to October 2022. The odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was employed to calculate this relationship. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies were finally screened out, including 1316 AD patients and 1099 controls. There were 3 studies for CC chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) polymorphisms, 2 for CCL11 polymorphisms, and 2 for CCL17 polymorphisms, respectively. The meta-analysis revealed a significant association between the CCL5 - 403G/A polymorphism and AD under the allelic model (A vs G: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.02-1.52, P = .03), heterozygous model (AG vs GG: OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.08-1.80, P = .01) and dominant model (AA + AG vs GG: OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.08-1.76, P = .01) in a fixed-effect model. The allelic model (G vs C: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.07-1.98, P < .01) and dominant model (GG + GC vs CC: OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.23-2.47, P < .001) of the CCL5 - 28C/G polymorphism were also associated with an increased risk of AD. However, this significant association was not found in other alleles and genotypes (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Our results show that the A allele, AG and AA + AG genotypes of the CCL5 - 403G/A polymorphism, the G allele and GG + GC genotype of the CCL5 - 28C/G polymorphism are risk factors for AD. Future studies with large population are still needed to further explore those correlations.

Exploring CCL11 in breast cancer: unraveling its anticancer potential and immune modulatory effects involving the Akt-S6 signaling.

BACKGROUND: CCL11, a chemokine known for recruiting immune cells to the tumor microenvironment (TME), has an unclear role in the context of its expression, patient prognosis, and the presence of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TILs) in breast cancer. METHODS: The expression of CCL11 in invasive breast cancer (BRCA) was analyzed using TCGA database. Survival curve and Cox regression analysis determined the potential of CCL11 as an independent prognostic indicator. GSEA performed functional analysis on genes related to CCL11. CIBERSORT algorithm quantified the infiltration level of immune cells with varying CCL11 expression. Lastly, the correlation between CCL11 expression and anticancer drug sensitivity was examined. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR confirmed CCL11 expression in clinical tissue samples. The anti-tumor efficacy of CCL11 was investigated using CCK-8, plate formation, transwell assay, and Western blot. RESULTS: CCL11 expression was elevated in BRCA tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was longer in patients with high expression of CCL11. Enrichment and co-expression analyses revealed CCL11's association with numerous immune-related signaling pathways and genes. Validation studies confirmed high CCL11 expression in breast cancer tissues. In vitro experiments substantiated CCL11's anticancer effects in BRCA. CONCLUSION: CCL11 expression correlates with immune cell infiltration in breast cancer, indicating its potential as a prognostic biomarker for BRCA.

Autotaxin-lysolipid signaling suppresses a CCL11-eosinophil axis to promote pancreatic cancer progression.

Lipids and their modifying enzymes regulate diverse features of the tumor microenvironment and cancer progression. The secreted enzyme autotaxin (ATX) hydrolyzes extracellular lysophosphatidylcholine to generate the multifunctional lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and supports the growth of several tumor types, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here we show that ATX suppresses the accumulation of eosinophils in the PDAC microenvironment. Genetic or pharmacologic ATX inhibition increased the number of intratumor eosinophils, which promote tumor cell apoptosis locally and suppress tumor progression. Mechanistically, ATX suppresses eosinophil accumulation via an autocrine feedback loop, wherein ATX-LPA signaling negatively regulates the activity of the AP-1 transcription factor c-Jun, in turn suppressing the expression of the potent eosinophil chemoattractant CCL11 (eotaxin-1). Eosinophils were identified in human PDAC specimens, and rare individuals with high intratumor eosinophil abundance had the longest overall survival. Together with recent findings, this study reveals the context-dependent, immune-modulatory potential of ATX-LPA signaling in cancer.

Using interleukin-18, Eotaxin-1, and Eotaxin-3 to identify brain injury in neonates with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: Serum biomarkers for brain injury in neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) provide a bedside tool for early identification and intervention. In this preliminary study, we aim to evaluate IL-18, Eotaxin-1 and Eotaxin-3 as biomarkers for the detection of brain injury in neonates with CHD. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled seven neonates diagnosed in-utero with CHD and obtained serum samples at birth, before and after surgery. Samples were analyzed using a human cytokine/chemokine multiplex assay. Brain injury was diagnosed on brain MRI before surgery. RESULTS: Samples from seven neonates at four time points before surgery and three time points after surgery were analyzed. A significant difference was found in neonates with brain injury compared to CHD neonates without. Elevations in interleukin (IL)-18 pre- and post-operative (p = 0.007), IL-18 pre-operative (p = 0.046), Eotaxin-1 pre-operative (p = 0.011), and Eotaxin-3 pre- and post-operative (p = 0.026) were found in CHD neonates with brain injury. CONCLUSION: This is the first published report on the use IL-18, Eotaxin-1, and Eotaxin-3 in the detection of brain injury for neonates with CHD. These biomarkers may provide an actionable target for neuroprotection through immunomodulation. Larger cohorts are needed to determine the significance and clinical utility of these biomarkers.

Profiling CCR3 target pathways for discovering novel antagonists from natural products using label-free cell phenotypic assays.

CC chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) plays important roles in atopic dermatitis (AD) and other related allergic diseases. Activation of CCR3 receptor signaling pathways regulates the recruitment of eosinophils to related tissues, releasing inflammatory mediators and causing inflammatory responses. However, none of the known CCR3 antagonists exhibit promising efficacy in clinical trials. In this work, we sought new natural CCR3 antagonists for drug development. To construct a high-throughput screening model, we established a stably transfected CHO-K1-Gα15-CCR3 cell line, and receptor expression was demonstrated by real-time quantitative PCR, confocal detection and flow cytometry analysis. Then, we applied a label-free cell phenotyping technique to profile and deconvolute CCR3 target pathways in CHO-K1-Gα15-CCR3 cells and found that activation of CCR3 triggered the Gq-PLC-Ca2+ and MAPK-P38-ERK pathways. By in vitro and in silico experiments, we discovered a novel CCR3 antagonist emodin, with an IC50 value of 27.28 ± 1.71 µM out of 266 compounds that were identified in 15 traditional Chinese medicines used in the clinical treatment of skin diseases. Molecular docking graphically presented the binding mode of emodin on CCR3. This work reports a new approach for CCR3 antagonist screening and pathway detection and identifies a new antagonist that would benefit future drug development.

Eotaxin-1/CCL11 promotes cellular senescence in human-derived fibroblasts through pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory pathways.

Introduction: Eotaxin-1/CCL11 is a pivotal chemokine crucial for eosinophil homing to the lungs of asthmatic patients. Recent studies also suggest that CCL11 is involved in the aging process, as it is upregulated in elderly, and correlated with shorter telomere length in leukocytes from asthmatic children. Despite its potential pro-aging effects, the precise contribution of CCL11 and the underlying mechanisms involved in the promotion of cellular senescence remains unclear. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to explore the role of CCL11 on senescence development and the signaling pathways activated by this chemokine in lung fibroblasts. Methods: To investigate the targets potentially modulated by CCL11, we performed an in silico analysis using PseudoCell. We validated in vitro the activation of these targets in the human lung fibroblast cell line MRC-5 following rhCCL11 exposure. Finally, we performed differential gene expression analysis in human airway epithelial cells of asthmatic patients to assess CCL11 signaling and activation of additional senescent markers. Results: Our study revealed that eotaxin-1/CCL11 promote reactive oxygen secretion (ROS) production in lung fibroblasts, accompanied by increased activation of the DNA damage response (DDR) and p-TP53 and γH2AX. These modifications were accompanied by cellular senescence promotion and increased secretion of senescence-associated secretory phenotype inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. Furthermore, our data show that airway epithelial lung cells from atopic asthmatic patients overexpress CCL11 along with aging markers such as CDKN2A (p16INK4a) and SERPINE1. Discussion: These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the pro-aging effects of CCL11 in the lungs of asthmatic patients. Understanding the role of CCL11 on senescence development may have important implications for the treatment of age-related lung diseases, such as asthma.

The Eotaxin-1/CCR3 Axis and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Are Critical in Anti-NC16A IgE-Induced Bullous Pemphigoid.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune bullous skin disease of humans and is characterized by eosinophilic inflammation and circulating and tissue-bound IgG and IgE autoantibodies directed against two hemidesmosomal proteins: BP180 and BP230. The noncollagenous 16A domain (NC16A) of BP180 has been found to contain major epitopes recognized by autoantibodies in BP. We recently established the pathogenicity of anti-NC16A IgE through passive transfer of patient-derived autoantibodies to double-humanized mice that express the human high-affinity IgE receptor, FcεRI, and human NC16A domain (FcεRI/NC16A). In this model, anti-NC16A IgEs recruit eosinophils to mediate tissue injury and clinical disease in FcεRI/NC16A mice. The objective of this study was to characterize the molecular and cellular events that underlie eosinophil recruitment and eosinophil-dependent tissue injury in anti-NC16A IgE-induced BP. We show that anti-NC16A IgEs significantly increase levels of key eosinophil chemoattractants, eotaxin-1 and eotaxin-2, as well as the proteolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the lesional skin of FcεRI/NC16A mice. Importantly, neutralization of eotaxin-1, but not eotaxin-2, and blockade of the main eotaxin receptor, CCR3, drastically reduce anti-NC16A IgE-induced disease activity. We further show that anti-NC16A IgE/NC16A immune complexes induce the release of MMP-9 from eosinophils, and that MMP-9-deficient mice are resistant to anti-NC16A IgE-induced BP. Lastly, we find significantly increased levels of eotaxin-1, eotaxin-2, and MMP-9 in blister fluids of BP patients. Taken together, this study establishes the eotaxin-1/CCR3 axis and MMP-9 as key players in anti-NC16A IgE-induced BP and candidate therapeutic targets for future drug development and testing.

Cholesterol Biases the Conformational Landscape of the Chemokine Receptor CCR3: A MAS SSNMR-Filtered Molecular Dynamics Study.

Cholesterol directs the pathway of ligand-induced G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signal transduction. The GPCR C-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) is the principal chemotactic receptor for eosinophils, with roles in cancer metastasis and autoinflammatory conditions. Recently, we discovered a direct correlation between bilayer cholesterol and increased agonist-triggered CCR3 signal transduction. However, the allosteric molecular mechanism escalating ligand affinity and G protein coupling is unknown. To study cholesterol-guided CCR3 conformational selection, we implement comparative, objective measurement of protein architectures by scoring shifts (COMPASS) to grade model structures from molecular dynamics simulations. In this workflow, we scored predicted chemical shifts against 2-dimensional solid-state NMR 13C-13C correlation spectra of U-15N,13C-CCR3 samples prepared with and without cholesterol. Our analysis of trajectory model structures uncovers that cholesterol induces site-specific conformational restraint of extracellular loop (ECL) 2 and conserved motion in transmembrane helices and ECL3 not observed in simulations of bilayers with only phosphatidylcholine lipids. PyLipID analysis implicates direct cholesterol agency in CCR3 conformational selection and dynamics. Residue-residue contact scoring shows that cholesterol biases the conformational selection of the orthosteric pocket involving Y411.39, Y1133.32, and E2877.39. Lastly, we observe contact remodeling in activation pathway residues centered on the initial transmission switch, Na+ pocket, and R3.50 in the DRY motif. Our observations have unique implications for understanding of CCR3 ligand recognition and specificity and provide mechanistic insight into how cholesterol functions as an allosteric regulator of CCR3 signal transduction.

CD193 (CCR3) expression by B cells correlates with reduced IgE production in paediatric schistosomiasis.

We demonstrate that CD193, the eotaxin receptor, is highly expressed on circulating B cells in paediatric schistosomiasis mansoni. CD193 plays a role in directing granulocytes into sites of allergic-like inflammation in the mucosa, but little is known about its functional significance on human B cells. We sought to characterize CD193 expression and its relationship with S. mansoni infection. We found that CD193+ B cells increased with the intensity of schistosome infection. In addition, a significant negative association was observed between CD193 expression by B cells and IgE production. Decreased IgE levels are generally associated with susceptibility to re-infection. B cell stimulation with eotaxin-1 increased CD193 levels whereas IL-4 led to a reduction. This was supported by plasma levels of eotaxin-1 correlating with CD193 levels on B cells and other cells. In contrast, CD193 expression was induced on naive B cells with a combination of IL-10 and schistosome antigens. Whereas T cells had a modest increase in CD193 expression, only B cell CD193 appeared functionally chemotactic to eotaxin-1. Thus, CD193+ B cells, which co-express CXCR5, may be enroute to sites with allergic-like inflammation, such as gastrointestinal follicles, or even to Th2 granulomas, which develop around parasite eggs. Overall, our results suggest that schistosome infection may promote CD193 expression and suppress IgE via IL-10 and other undefined mechanisms related to B cell trafficking. This study adds to our understanding of why young children may have poor immunity. Nonetheless, praziquantel treatment was shown to reduce percentages of circulating CD193+ B cells lending hope for future vaccine efforts.

Young Astrocytic Mitochondria Attenuate the Elevated Level of CCL11 in the Aged Mice, Contributing to Cognitive Function Improvement.

Aging drives cognitive decline, and mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of age-induced neurodegeneration. Recently, we demonstrated that astrocytes secrete functional mitochondria (Mt), which help adjacent cells to resist damage and promote repair after neurological injuries. However, the relationship between age-dependent changes in astrocytic Mt function and cognitive decline remains poorly understood. Here, we established that aged astrocytes secret less functional Mt compared to young astrocytes. We found the aging factor C-C motif chemokine 11 (CCL11) is elevated in the hippocampus of aged mice, and that its level is reduced upon systemic administration of young Mt, in vivo. Aged mice receiving young Mt, but not aged Mt improved cognitive function and hippocampal integrity. Using a CCL11-induced aging-like model in vitro, we found that astrocytic Mt protect hippocampal neurons and enhance a regenerative environment through upregulating synaptogenesis-related gene expression and anti-oxidants that were suppressed by CCL11. Moreover, the inhibition of CCL11-specific receptor C-C chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) boosted the expression of synaptogenesis-related genes in the cultured hippocampal neurons and restored the neurite outgrowth. This study suggests that young astrocytic Mt can preserve cognitive function in the CCL11-mediated aging brain by promoting neuronal survival and neuroplasticity in the hippocampus.

Sputum Type 2 Markers Could Predict Remission in Severe Asthma Treated With Anti-IL-5.

BACKGROUND: Biotherapies targeting IL-5 allow a tangible improvement of asthma. However, all patients do not respond the same way to these treatments. Even if high blood eosinophil counts seem to be associated with a reduction in exacerbations with treatment targeting IL-5, we lack biomarkers for the prediction of remission after these very expensive treatments. RESEARCH QUESTION: Are there biomarkers of remission after therapy targeting IL-5 in the sputum of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This observational study included 52 patients with severe asthma initiated with anti-IL-5 therapy and recruited from the asthma clinic of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Liege, Belgium. Remission was defined as patients who combined the following at 1 year after therapy: no chronic treatment with oral corticosteroids; no exacerbation; asthma control questionnaire score < 1.5, asthma control test score > 19, or both; FEV1 of ≥ 80% predicted, improvement of FEV1 of ≥ 10%, or both; and a blood eosinophil count < 300 cells/µL. Eosinophil peroxidase (EPX), IgE, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-25, IL-33, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), and eotaxin-1 levels were measured in the sputum of these patients before anti-IL-5 treatment. RESULTS: Among the 52 patients, 11 were classified as being in remission. These patients were characterized by higher sputum eosinophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte counts, whereas the sputum neutrophil percentage was lower than in the nonremission group. In addition, the sputum eotaxin-1, TSLP, IL-5, EPX, and IgE protein levels were higher at baseline in the remission group compared with the nonremission group. Univariate regression analysis revealed that male vs female sex, sputum neutrophil percentage, eotaxin-1, IL-5, and EPX were potential predictors of remission. INTERPRETATION: Sputum type 2 markers seemed to be potentially predictive of remission after anti-IL-5 therapy in a cohort of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. These results need validation on a larger cohort.

Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Analysis Provides Evidence for the Causal Involvement of Dysregulation of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 in the Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Systemic inflammation is well recognised to be associated with ulcerative colitis [UC], but whether these effects are causal or consequential remains unclear. We aimed to define potential causal relationship of cytokine dysregulation with different tiers of evidence. METHODS: We first synthesised serum proteomic profiling data from two multicentred observational studies, in which a panel of systemic inflammatory proteins was analysed to examine their associations with UC risk. To further dissect observed associations, we then performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation [TSMR] analysis from both forward and reverse directions using five genome-wide association study [GWAS] summary level data for serum proteomic profiles and the largest GWAS of 28 738 European-ancestry individuals for UC risk. RESULTS: Pooled analysis of serum proteomic data identified 14 proteins to be associated with the risk of UC. Forward MR analysis using only cis-acting protein quantitative trait loci [cis-pQTLs] or trans-pQTLs further validated causal associations of two chemokines and the increased risk of UC: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 [CXCL9] [OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08, 1.95, p = 0.012] and C-C motif chemokine ligand 11 [CCL11] [OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09, 1.18, p = 3.89 × 10-10]. Using both cis- and trans-acting pQTLs, an association of caspase-8 [CASP8] [OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03, 1.05, p = 7.63 × 10-19] was additionally identified. Reverse MR did not find any influence of genetic predisposition to UC on any of these three inflammation proteins. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing elevated levels of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 may play a role in the pathogenesis of UC.

Eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 in malaria exposure and pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Eotaxin-1 concentrations in plasma have been inversely associated with malaria exposure, malaria infection and pregnancy, but the effect of these conditions on the levels of the related chemokines eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 remains unknown. METHODS: Eotaxin-2 and -3 concentrations were measured in 310 peripheral or placental plasma samples from pregnant and non-pregnant individuals from Papua New Guinea (malaria-endemic country) and Spain (malaria-naïve individuals) with previous data on eotaxin-1 concentrations. Correlations between eotaxin concentrations were examined with the Spearman's test. Differences in eotaxin concentrations among groups were evaluated with the Kruskal-Wallis or Mann Whitney tests. The pairwise Wilcoxon test was performed to compare eotaxin-2 concentration between peripheral and placental matched plasmas. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models were estimated to assess the association between eotaxins and Plasmodium infection or gestational age. RESULTS: Eotaxin-2 concentrations in plasma showed a weak positive correlation with eotaxin-3 (rho = 0.35, p < 0.05) concentrations. Eotaxin-2 concentrations in the malaria-exposed non-pregnant group were significantly lower than the in the malaria-naive non-pregnant and the malaria-exposed pregnant groups. Eotaxin-3 plasma concentrations were lower in malaria-exposed than in non-exposed groups (p < 0.05), but no differences were found associated to pregnancy. Eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 plasma concentrations were negatively correlated with anti-Plasmodium IgG levels: PfDBL5ε-IgG (rhoEo2 = - 0.35, p = 0.005; rhoEo3 =- 0.37, p = 0.011), and eotaxin-3 was negatively correlated with PfDBL3x-IgG levels (rhoEo3 =- 0.36; p = 0.011). Negative correlations of eotaxin-2 and 3 in plasma were also observed with atypical memory B cells (rhoEo2 = - 0.37, p < 0.001; rhoEo3= - 0.28, p = 0.006), a B cell subset expanded in malaria-exposed individuals. In addition, a borderline negative association was observed between eotaxin-3 concentrations and Plasmodium infection (adjusted effect estimate, ß = - 0.279, 95% CI - 0.605; 0.047, p = 0.091). Moreover, eotaxin-2 placental concentrations were significantly increased compared to peripheral concentrations in the malaria-exposed pregnant group whereas the contrary was observed in the non-exposed pregnant group (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Although a clear epidemiological negative association is observed between eotaxins concentrations and malaria exposure and/or infection, pregnancy may alter this association for eotaxin-2. Further research is required to understand the role of these chemokines in this disease and in combination with pregnancy.

Changes in inflammatory biomarkers in the nasal mucosal secretion after septoplasty.

Deviated nasal septum (DNS) is suggested to be associated with nonspecific inflammation of the nasal mucosa. The authors hypothesized septoplasty may reduce nasal mucosal inflammation, therefore the authors aimed to measure various inflammatory biomarkers in the nasal secretion following septoplasty. Prospectively, 17 patients undergoing elective septoplasty were included. Symptomatic changes after septoplasty were evaluated with Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and Nasal obstruction symptom evaluation (NOSE) scores. Using acoustic rhinometry, changes of the nasal airway volume were measured. Nasal secretion was collected within 2 weeks and 3 months before and after septoplasty, respectively. The inflammatory biomarker high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α), interferon γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), eotaxin-1, and regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and presumably secreted (RANTES) were quantified in the nasal secretion by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or multiplex bead array assays. The patients' mean age was 30.5 ± 6.8 (ranging from 19 to 43), consisting of 15 male and 2 female patients. The median SNOT-22 and NOSE scores changed from 54 to 14 and 78 to 15, respectively, both showing a significant decrease. In acoustic rhinometry, nasal cavity volume of convex side significantly increased after septoplasty, whereas significant discrepancy of nasal airway volume between concave and convex sides became insignificant. No significant difference was noted both before and after septoplasty between the concave and convex sides in all seven biomarkers. The HMGB1, RANTES, IL-4, and TNF-α concentrations following septoplasty showed significant decrease in 34 nasal cavities of 17 patients (all p < 0.05). However, when the 17 concave and 17 convex sides were analyzed separately, the significant reduction in four biomarkers were only significant in the concave sides (all p < 0.05), but not significantly reduced in convex sides. Septoplasty may have benefited not only in normalizing the nasal airflow and symptom improvement, but also in nonspecific inflammation attenuation in the nasal airway.

Assessment of the possibility of using biomarkers (CCL11 and TGF-beta 1) in the diagnosis of prostate gland hyperplasia in dogs.

Prostatic hyperplasia (PH) is the most common reproductive disorder in dogs and can lead to discomforting problems such as haematuria, urinary incontinence, constipation, difficulty in defecating and stiffness of the hind limbs. The diagnosis of PH is nowadays based on digital rectal examination (DRE), ultrasonography (US) and radiography (X-ray). However, markers associated with PH are barely used for diagnostic purposes. Recently, there have been reports on the use of certain biomarkers for diagnosing PH in dogs such as canine PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), microRNA and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Nevertheless, it has been generally accepted that these biomarkers play only an auxiliary role. Accordingly, the aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of the CCL11 (eotaxin-1) and TGF-beta 1 markers, which are used in the diagnosis of prostate diseases in humans, in case of dogs with PH. The study was carried out on 40 dogs of different breeds divided into three groups. Group I (n = 9) comprised dogs up to 5 years of age without changes indicative of PH. Group II (n = 17) included dogs aged 5-10 that were examined and diagnosed with (PH) and Group III (n = 14) which consisted of dogs over 10 years of age who were also diagnosed with PH. The study demonstrated that CCL11 levels did not differ significantly between the study groups and the median levels were 7.27 pg/mL, 7.57 pg/mL, 6.81 pg/mL, and IQR ranges 1.55 pg/mL, 1.74 pg/mL, 2.32 pg/mL, respectively. In contrast, TGF-beta 1 levels were detectable only in 6 dogs of group III and averaged the median of 28.86 pg/mL, IQR ranges 10.07 pg/mL. The study proved that CCL11 and TGF-beta 1 markers are of a limited use when diagnosing PH in dogs as no significant correlation related to age, body weight or prostate size was found.

Altered levels of salivary cytokines in patients with major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence indicate the involvement of inflammation in the pathogenesis of mental disorders. Numerous studies have shown that proinflammatory cytokines were elevated in peripheral blood of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). A few recent research have explored the possibility of using saliva as a biomarker for depressive symptoms. The objective of this study is to examine the salivary cytokine levels in patients with MDD and healthy controls. METHODS: Participants were 19 patients with MDD and 50 healthy controls. The levels of 27 cytokines in saliva were measured by multiplex bead array assay. RESULTS: The Mann-Whitney U-test showed that the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-9, IL-12p70, IL-13, Chemokine CCL11 (Eotaxin), MIP-1α, RANTES, and VEGF were significantly higher in patients than controls. The quantile regression analysis showed that IL-1ß, IL-12p70, CCL11, and VEGF remained significant after controlling for possible confounding factors. CONCLUSION: The findings were in line with previous studies that showed elevated peripheral levels of cytokines in patients with MDD. Our present data provide preliminary support for altered salivary cytokine levels in patients with MDD and suggest that salivary cytokines may serve as a novel target for elucidating the pathophysiology underlying MDD.

Suppression of airway allergic eosinophilia by Hp-TGM, a helminth mimic of TGF-ß.

Type 2-high asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways which is increasingly prevalent in countries where helminth parasite infections are rare, and characterized by T helper 2 (Th2)-dependent accumulation of eosinophils in the lungs. Regulatory cytokines such as TGF-ß can restrain inflammatory reactions, dampen allergic Th2 responses, and control eosinophil activation. The murine helminth parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus releases a TGF-ß mimic (Hp-TGM) that replicates the biological and functional properties of TGF-ß despite bearing no structural similarity to the mammalian protein. Here, we investigated if Hp-TGM could alleviate allergic airway inflammation in mice exposed to Alternaria alternata allergen, house dust mite (HDM) extract or alum-adjuvanted ovalbumin protein (OVA). Intranasal administration of Hp-TGM during Alternaria exposure sharply reduced airway and lung tissue eosinophilia along with bronchoalveolar lavage fluid IL-5 and lung IL-33 cytokine levels at 24 h. The protective effect of Hp-TGM on airway eosinophilia was also obtained in the longer T-cell mediated models of HDM or OVA sensitisation with significant inhibition of eotaxin-1, IL-4 and IL-13 responses depending on the model and time-point. Hp-TGM was also protective when administered parenterally either when given at the time of allergic sensitisation or during airway allergen challenge. This project has taken the first steps in identifying the role of Hp-TGM in allergic asthma and highlighted its ability to control lung inflammation and allergic pathology. Future research will investigate the mode of action of Hp-TGM against airway allergic eosinophilia, and further explore its potential to be developed as a biotherapeutic in allergic asthma.