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Non-coding RNAs Analysis of Eosinophil Subtypes in Asthma

Non-coding RNAs Analysis of Eosinophil Subtypes in Asthma

Status
UNKNOWN
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04542902
Enrollment
80
Registered
2020-09-09
Start date
2020-10-01
Completion date
2023-10-01
Last updated
2020-09-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Allergic Asthma, Severe Eosinophilic Asthma

Keywords

Eosinophils subtypes, Non-coding RNA, Exosome

Brief summary

Chronic airway inflammation rich in eosinophils is an important feature seen in asthma. Airway and blood eosinophilia is associated with increased rates of asthma exacerbations and more intense treatment. Recently, the existence of two distinct eosinophils subtypes was revealed-lung-resident eosinophils (rEOS), which maturate independently to interleukin (IL) 5, with the primary function to maintain tissue homeostasis, and inflammatory eosinophils (iEOS), which mature in IL-5-dependent manner and are mainly involved in immune responses. Eosinophils' effect on the airway remodeling in asthma depends not only on the activity but also by their viable number in the lungs. Blood iEOS infiltrate the airways mainly after the environmental stimulus like allergen and leave the airways with bronchial secretions. However, rEOS reside lung tissue for their entire lifetime regulating local immunity. Blood rEOS and iEOS ratio alters in asthma, compared with healthy controls. It is known that the predominant eosinophils subtype in allergic asthma are iEOS, while rEOS are basic subtype in severe eosinophilic asthma patients, moreover, they are different in adhesive properties and survivability as well. Distinct biological properties allows to speculate about their different functions in asthma, however, there are still little information. Data about differently expressed microRNA (miRNA) profiles in eosinophils in asthma suggests, that eosinophils subtypes can be distinct in non-coding RNA (ncRNA) - microRNA (miRNA), piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) and long non-coding RNA (IncRNA) profiles that could describe their role in asthma pathogenesis and act as biomarkers to discern asthma phenotypes.

Detailed description

Asthma is not cured, and only well-balanced treatment can control the course and severity of the disease. Most clinical symptoms rise from aberrant chronic airway inflammation mostly eosinophilic. Eosinophils are terminally differentiated granulocytes that actively contribute to innate and adaptive inflammatory cascades through the production and release of diverse chemokines, cytokines, lipid mediators and other growth factors. IL-5 plays a fundamental role in eosinophils maturation in the bone marrow, their recruitment, and activation at sites of inflammation. Historically eosinophils were described as a critical player in host defense, including parasites, viruses, fungi, or bacteria, giving them a destructive inflammatory cell label. However, it became clear that steady-state eosinophils can contribute to the immunoregulation and tissue homeostasis as well. Studies revealed that there are distinct eosinophils subtypes - immunoregulatory lung-resident eosinophils (rEOS) and inflammatory eosinophils (iEOS), involved in immune responses. Distinct eosinophils subtypes with different functions determines the separate treatment. There are still only a few studies describing distinct eosinophils subtypes in the lungs or blood. It is the beginning of a new promising research area for better individualized eosinophilic asthma treatment, moreover, other eosinophilic diseases as well. Peripheral blood eosinophils studies are sufficiently relevant to the tissue eosinophils studies, as blood eosinophils are released into the bloodstream in a fully maturated form. Moreover, peripheral blood study could give additional information with possibilities to prevent eosinophils effects in the early stage, before migration to the airways. Furthermore, the existence of tissue-resident eosinophils in peripheral blood is confirmed and primary research for eosinophil subtypes surface markers was made according to the data of human blood eosinophils. Data about differently differently expressed microRNA (miRNA) profiles in eosinophils in asthma suggests, that eosinophils subtypes can be distinct in non-coding RNA (ncRNA) - microRNA (miRNA), piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) and long non-coding RNA (IncRNA) profiles that could describe their role in asthma pathogenesis and act as biomarkers to discern asthma phenotypes. Researchers have plan to expand research by analyzing non-coding RNA (ncRNA) - miRNA, piRNA and lncRNA profiles of rEOS and iEOS as well as selected ncRNA signatures in blood plasma estimating their diagnostic value. Moreover, additional investigation of ncRNA in eosinophil-derived exosomes will provide important data about possible effect of eosinophils subtypes on airway remodeling via secreted ncRNA. ncRNAs are key regulators for gene transcription. However, there is evidence about their dysregulation in eosinophils during asthma. It will give important information about molecular signaling pathways that regulate the activity of distinct eosinophil subtypes during health and asthma, and provide the essential information about possible new therapeutic targets for their control. Additionally researchers will investigate the biological differences between rEOS and iEOS, including surface integrins and eosinophilopoietins receptors expression, adhesive properties, survivability, synthesized reactive oxygen species and apoptosis, as well as their effect on pulmonary structural cells physiological activity as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, contractility and proteins production, and will relate it with molecular signaling pathways, regulated by distinct expressed ncRNAs. ncRNAs can be stored in eosinophils exosomes and expressed to the surrounding environment. Information about ncRNAs in eosinophils-derived exosomes will demonstrate their function by affecting the other cells, especially after migration to airways. Moreover, ncRNAs are stable and resistant to blood RNases and differentially expressed in several pathologies. Researchers suppose that altered blood levels of ncRNAs could act as a possible new diagnostic biomarker in asthma.

Interventions

Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen is required to perform allergen bronchial challenge test.

PROCEDUREBlood sampling

An amount of a person's blood taken from their body for use in medical.

Bronchial challenge is performed with D. pteronyssinus allergen. Measurements of differences in eosinophils activity after allergen challenge.

Sponsors

Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Men and women between the ages of 18-70 years; * Allergic asthma and sensitization to house dust mites (D. pteronyssinus) allergen, approved with: 1) medical history and symptoms more than one year; 2) skin prick test positive for D. pteronyssinus (positive wheals are those exceeding 3 mm in diameter greater than the negative control); 3) positive bronchial challenge with methacholine or documented reversible bronchial obstruction; * Severe eosinophilic asthma; * Premenopausal women if pregnancy test is negative; * Healthy subjects without allergic and other chronic respiratory diseases (control group); * Participants who gave his/her informed written consent.

Exclusion criteria

* Asthma exacerbation 1 month prior to study; * Clinically significant permanent allergy symptoms (ex. cat or dog dander induced allergy); * Contraindications to perform an allergy skin test and/or bronchial provocation test: 1) active airway infection 1 month prior the study; 2) used medicaments: inhaled glucocorticoids intake 1 month prior the study, antihistamines intake 7 days prior the study; 3) short acting β2 agonists 12 hours prior the study; 4) long acting β2 agonists 2 days prior the study; 5) leukotriene receptor antagonists prior 14 days; * Contraindications for epinephrine; * Other significant mental and / or internal diseases and conditions, which could be as

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Fold changes of ncRNA expression between eosinophils subtypesFrom 6 to 12 monthsValidated ncRNA expression of rEOS and iEOS in severe and non-severe eosinophilic asthma patients and healthy subjects.
ncRNA levels in rEOS- and iEOS-derived exosomesFrom 12 to 18 monthsQualitative and quantitative selected ncRNA levels in rEOS- and iEOS-derived exosomes of all investigated groups.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The fold changes of rEOS and iEOS eosinophilopoietins receptors expressionFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe gene expression of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-3, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in eosinophil subtypes.
The efficiency of iEOS and rEOS adhesionFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe differences in stable adhered iEOS and rEOS quantity in the combined cell culture with airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells or pulmonary fibroblasts compared between the investigated groups.
iEOS and rEOS survival differencesFrom 6 to 12 monthsViable iEOS and rEOS number after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with ASM cells or pulmonary fibroblasts.
iEOS and rEOS effect on migration of ASM cells.From 6 to 12 monthsThe migrated ASM cells number after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with iEOS and rEOS
iEOS and rEOS effect on migration of pulmonary fibroblastsFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe migrated pulmonary fibroblasts number after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with iEOS and rEOS
Quantity of iEOS and rEOS synthesized reactive oxygen speciesFrom 6 to 12 monthsRelative differences between iEOS and rEOS synthesized reactive oxygen species quantity after an appropriate period of incubation alone or with ASM cells or pulmonary fibroblasts.
Apoptotic iEOS and rEOS numberFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe number of apoptotic iEOS and rEOS after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with ASM cells or pulmonary fibroblasts.
Fold changes of ncRNA profiles of distinct eosinophil subtypesFrom 6 to 12 monthsNon-validated whole ncRNA profiles of distinct eosinophil subtypes in severe and non-severe eosinophilic asthma patients and healthy subjects.
iEOS and rEOS effect on airway smooth muscle cells or pulmonary fibroblasts proliferationFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe quantity of ASM cells or pulmonary fibroblasts after several repeats of proliferation in the presence or absence of eosinophil subtypes.
iEOS and rEOS effect on apoptotic ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts numberFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe number of apoptotic ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with iEOS and rEOS.
iEOS and rEOS effect on ASM cells contractilityFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe relative efficiency of ASM cells' ability to contract collagen gel after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with iEOS and rEOS, expressed as reduced poured gel size in percentage, compared with control ASM cells without incubation with eosinophils.
iEOS and rEOS effect on pulmonary fibroblasts contractilityFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe relative efficiency of pulmonary fibroblasts ability to contract collagen gel after an appropriate period of time in combined cell culture with iEOS and rEOS. expressed as reduced poured gel size in percentage, compared with control pulmonary fibroblasts, without incubation with eosinophils.
iEOS and rEOS effect on fold changes of ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts proteins expression;From 6 to 12 monthsAltered selected ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts proteins expression, after incubation with iEOS and rEOS, expressed as fold changes in comparison with control cells, without incubation with eosinophils
iEOS and rEOS effect on fold changes of ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts proteins gene expression;From 6 to 12 monthsAltered selected ASM cells and pulmonary fibroblasts proteins gene expression, after incubation with iEOS and rEOS, expressed as fold changes in comparison with control cells, without incubation with eosinophils
Concentrations of iEOS and rEOS produced proteins in investigated subjects' body fluids.From 6 to 12 monthsSelected iEOS and rEOS proteins concentrations, measured in investigated subjects body fluids, expressed as the amount of protein in the respective amount of fluid sample.
The fold changes of rEOS and iEOS surface integrins expressionFrom 6 to 12 monthsThe gene expression of selected outer-membrane integrins in eosinophil subtypes.

Countries

Lithuania

Contacts

Primary ContactKestutis Prof. Dr. Malakauskas
kestutis.malakauskas@lsmuni.lt+37037326737
Backup ContactJolita Palacionyte
jolita.palacionyte@lsmuni.lt+37062591727

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026