Major Asthma Inflammatory Markers Are Similar Between Men and Women
There is no difference in major type 2 inflammatory cells between men and women with asthma, according to a new study.
The study, which was authored by Michael J. Aw, BHSc, and colleagues, was presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting on Friday, February 22.
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The researchers sought to determine whether women with asthma have increased airway type 2 innate lymphoid cells compared with men, since the cell numbers have been shown to increase in the absence of androgen signaling but not estrogen.
To assess the cellular differences between men and women, the researchers used flow cytometry to measure the sputum and blood innate lymphoid cells of adult nonsmokers with mild asthma and responded to both methacholine and an intermittent β2 agonist, as well as adult nonsmokers with severe asthma and were prednisone-dependent.
There were 8 men and 11 women in the mild asthma group, and 13 men and 17 women in the severe asthma group.
At baseline, the men and women with mild asthma had similar spirometry, methacholine PC20, and sputum eosinophilia. And while women in the group had significantly more total sputum airway type 2 innate lymphoid cells than the men, there were no significant differences in cytokine-producing airway type 2 innate lymphoid cells.
At 24 hours post-allergen challenge, the participants with mild asthma showed no difference in lung function, airway eosinophilia, sputum extracted total, or cytokine+ type 2 innate lymphoid cell levels.
“Major type 2 inflammatory cells, including ILC2 and CD4+ T cells in blood and sputum, from clinically similar asthmatics are comparable irrespective of sex,” the researchers concluded.
—Colleen Murphy
Reference:
Aw MJ, Nair PK, Salter B, et al. Sex differences in type 2 innate lymphoid cells in adult asthmatics. Paper presented at: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting; February 22-25, 2019; San Francisco, CA. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2018.12.002. Accessed February 22, 2019.