Aryl hydrocarbon receptor: Linking environment to aging process in elderly patients with asthma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Aging is a significant risk factor for various diseases, including asthma, and it often leads to poorer clinical outcomes, particularly in elderly individuals. It is recognized that age-related diseases are due to a time-dependent accumulation of cellular damage, resulting in a progressive decline in cellular and physiological functions and an increased susceptibility to chronic diseases. The effects of aging affect not only the elderly but also those of younger ages, posing significant challenges to global healthcare. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms associated with aging in different diseases is essential. One intriguing factor is the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which serves as a cytoplasmic receptor and ligand-activated transcription factor and has been linked to the aging process. Here, we review the literature on several major hallmarks of aging, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, autophagy, mitophagy, epigenetic alterations, and microbiome disturbances. Moreover, we provide an overview of the impact of AhR on these hallmarks by mediating responses to environmental exposures, particularly in relation to the immune system. Furthermore, we explore how aging hallmarks affect clinical characteristics, inflammatory features, exacerbations, and the treatment of asthma. It is suggested that AhR signaling may potentially play a role in regulating asthma phenotypes in elderly populations as part of the aging process.

The relationship between Proto-oncogenes expression and airway inflammatory cell infiltration in asthma / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM: To investigate the relationship between inflammatory cell infiltration and proto-oncogenes expression in asthma. METHODS: Guinea pigs were used as asthma models challenged by ovoglobulin. Dot-blot, Northern-blot and immunochemical techniques were used to detect the expression of c-fos, c-myc, c-jun and c-sis. Inflammatory cell infiltration was showed by pathologic study.RESULTS: c-fos and c-myc mRNA could not be detected or expressed at very low level in control group. Those were greatly increased after the animals are challenged by ovoglobulin. Immunochemical study showed that Fos, Myc, Jun and Sis expressed at low level in control group, and those were increased after the challenge. There was little inflammatory cell infiltration in control group. Lymphocyte, neutrophil and eosinophil were detected immediately after the challenge, a great number of inflammation cells could be seen after 12-24 h of the challenge. Majority of neutrophil and eosinophil were under mucosa or in epithelium in airway. CONCLUSION: Oncogenes expression had strong relationship with airway inflammation.