Eosinophil Progenitors in Patients With Non-Asthmatic Eosinophilic Bronchitis, Eosinophilic Asthma, and Normal Controls

• Published in: Frontiers in immunology 2022-03, Vol.13, p.737968-737968
• Main Authors: Zhan, Chen, Xu, Rong, Li, Bizhou, Liu, Jiaxing, Liang, Wanqin, Zhang, Shengfang, Fang, Liman, Zhong, Shuxin, de Silva, S Dushinka Shaniya Helen, Sivapalan, Dhinesan, Luo, Wei, Li, Jing, Lai, Kefang, Zhong, Nanshan, Sehmi, Roma, O'Byrne, Paul M, Chen, Ruchong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; airway inflammation; Asthma - drug therapy; Bronchitis - diagnosis; Bronchitis - drug therapy; Budesonide - therapeutic use; eosinophil; eosinophil progenitors; Eosinophils; hematopoietic progenitor cells; Humans; Immunology; non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis; Pulmonary Eosinophilia - drug therapy
• ISSN: 1664-3224; 1664-3224
• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.737968

This study aims to explore the potential of airway differentiation of eosinophil progenitors (EoPs) and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in sputum and peripheral blood from patients with non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB), eosinophilic asthma (EA), and healthy controls (HC). Using flow cytometry, we enumerated sputum and blood HPCs and EoPs in patients with NAEB (n=15), EA (n=15), and HC (n=14) at baseline. Patients with NAEB and EA were then treated for 1 month with budesonide (200 μg, bid) or budesonide and formoterol (200/6 μg, bid), respectively. HPCs and EoPs in both compartments were re-evaluated. At baseline, NAEB and EA both had significantly greater numbers of sputum but not blood HPCs and EoPs (