Modulation of human airway smooth muscle biology by human adipocytes

Asthma and obesity, two growing epidemics worldwide, may share an underlying causal relationship. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a defining component of asthma, has been documented in both 'obese' animal models and non-asthmatic obese individuals. However, there is a paucity of evidence that obesity-derived factors directly affect human airway smooth muscles (ASM).

Experiments were designed with primary ASM and adipocytes isolated from the same human tissue explants (n = 6). The modulatory effects of human adipocytes extracted from subcutaneous (extrathoracic) and visceral (intrathoracic) depots, on ASM biology was examined with respect to proliferation, migration, contractility and pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis.

Adipocyte-conditioned media as well as myocyte-adipocyte co-cultures failed to show any significant changes in the proliferative or migrational properties of the ASM. Adipocyte-conditioned media also had no effect on the contractility or relaxation of bovine tracheal muscle strips. In contrast, there was a moderate yet significant increase of IL-6 and eotaxin release by ASM incubated with adipocyte-conditioned media (P = 0.0035 and P = 0.0067, vs. control, respectively), thereby further consolidating the altered inflammatory state reported for both diseases.

We report, for the first time, that adipocytes from either subcutaneous or visceral depots can trigger an inflammatory state in the ASM, with negligible modulatory effects on hyperplasia, hypertrophy or contractile properties.