Tomohiro Ichikawa1, Alice Panariti2, Severine Audusseau2, Andrea Karen Mogas2, Ronald Olivenstein2, Jamila Chakir3, Michel Laviolette3, Zoulfia Allakhverdi2, Saba Al Heialy4, James G Martin2, Qutayba Hamid5. 1. Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. 2. Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 3. Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Quebec, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada. 4. College of Medicine, Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 5. College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: qutayba.hamid@mcgill.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a novel technique used in the treatment of subjects with severe refractory asthma. Radiofrequency is provided to airway walls during bronchoscopy in order to reduce airway remodeling. Several clinical studies have reported an improvement in subjects' symptoms following BT. However, how BT affects the airway architectures and inflammatory mediators in the airways has not been yet fully elucidated. METHODS: Fourteen subjects with severe asthma were recruited in this study according to the criteria of ATS severe asthma definition. The study subjects undertook bronchial biopsy during the bronchoscopy procedure at baseline and 6 weeks after the initial BT treatment. The obtained samples were stained with antibodies for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA); protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, a specific nerve marker; von Willebrand factor (vWF), a marker for blood vessels; interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). RESULTS: The expression of α-SMA and PGP9.5 were significantly reduced post-BT. There was no significant difference in the number of blood vessels between baseline and post-BT. In addition, BT did not affect the production of IL-17A and TGF-β1 in the airways. The changes in the expression of α-SMA and PGP9.5 had no significant correlation with the improvement of pulmonary function. CONCLUSION: and Clinical Relevance: This study suggests that BT reduces airway smooth muscle mass and the airway innervation without affecting vasculature and the production of inflammatory mediators in the airways of subjects with severe asthma.
BACKGROUND: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a novel technique used in the treatment of subjects with severe refractory asthma. Radiofrequency is provided to airway walls during bronchoscopy in order to reduce airway remodeling. Several clinical studies have reported an improvement in subjects' symptoms following BT. However, how BT affects the airway architectures and inflammatory mediators in the airways has not been yet fully elucidated. METHODS: Fourteen subjects with severe asthma were recruited in this study according to the criteria of ATS severe asthma definition. The study subjects undertook bronchial biopsy during the bronchoscopy procedure at baseline and 6 weeks after the initial BT treatment. The obtained samples were stained with antibodies for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA); protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, a specific nerve marker; von Willebrand factor (vWF), a marker for blood vessels; interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). RESULTS: The expression of α-SMA and PGP9.5 were significantly reduced post-BT. There was no significant difference in the number of blood vessels between baseline and post-BT. In addition, BT did not affect the production of IL-17A and TGF-β1 in the airways. The changes in the expression of α-SMA and PGP9.5 had no significant correlation with the improvement of pulmonary function. CONCLUSION: and Clinical Relevance: This study suggests that BT reduces airway smooth muscle mass and the airway innervation without affecting vasculature and the production of inflammatory mediators in the airways of subjects with severe asthma.
Authors: Dorian Hassoun; Lindsay Rose; François-Xavier Blanc; Antoine Magnan; Gervaise Loirand; Vincent Sauzeau Journal: BMJ Open Respir Res Date: 2022-09
Authors: Clare O Shapiro; Becky J Proskocil; Laura J Oppegard; Emily D Blum; Nicole L Kappel; Christopher H Chang; Allison D Fryer; David B Jacoby; Richard W Costello; Matthew G Drake Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2021-02-01 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Rakhee K Ramakrishnan; Khuloud Bajbouj; Saba Al Heialy; Bassam Mahboub; Abdul Wahid Ansari; Ibrahim Y Hachim; Surendra Rawat; Laila Salameh; Mahmood Y Hachim; Ronald Olivenstein; Rabih Halwani; Rifat Hamoudi; Qutayba Hamid Journal: Front Immunol Date: 2020-05-21 Impact factor: 7.561