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Published on: April 16, 2019
Non-allergic eosinophilic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness induced by diesel engine exhaust through
Huasi Zhao1, Chen Zhan2, Bizhou Li3
1State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Pulmonary and Critial Care Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R.China; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, P.R.China.
Rationale:
Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is associated with the development and exacerbation of asthma. Studies have shown that DEE can aggravate allergen-induced eosinophilic inflammation in lung. However, it remains not clear that whether DEE alone could initiate non-allergic eosinophilic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) through innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) pathway.
Objective:
This study aims to investigate the airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness and its relationship with ILC after DEE exposure.
Method:
Non-sensitized BALB/c mice were exposed in the chamber of diesel exhaust or filtered air for 2, 4, and 6 weeks (4 h/day, 6 days/week). Anti-CD4 mAb or anti-Thy1.2 mAb was administered by intraperitoneal injection to inhibit CD4+T or ILCs respectively. AHR、airway inflammation and ILCs were assessed.
Result:
DEE exposure induced significantly elevated level of neutrophils, eosinophils, collagen content at 4, 6 weeks. Importantly, the airway AHR was only significant in the 4weeks-DEE exposure group. No difference of the functional proportions of Th2 cells was found between exposure group and control group. The proportions of IL-5+ILC2, IL-17+ILC significantly increased in 2, 4weeks-DEE exposure group. After depletion of CD4+T cells, both the proportion of IL-5+ILC2 and IL-17A ILCs was higher in the 4weeks-DEE exposure group which induced AHR, neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation accompanied by the IL-5, IL-17A levels.
Conclusion:
Diesel engine exhaust alone can imitate asthmatic characteristics in mice model. Lung-resident ILCs are one of the major effectors cells responsible for a mixed Th2/Th17 response and AHR.
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