Effect of bronchial thermoplasty on structural changes and 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-ß1 (TGF-ß1). 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-ß1 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.

Adoptive transfer of Tc1 or Tc17 cells elicits antitumor immunity against established melanoma through distinct mechanisms.

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of ex vivo-activated autologous tumor-reactive T cells is currently one of the most promising approaches for cancer immunotherapy. Recent studies provided some evidence that IL-17-producing CD8(+) (Tc17) cells may exhibit potent antitumor activity, but the specific mechanisms have not been completely defined. In this study, we used a murine melanoma lung-metastasis model and tested the therapeutic effects of gp100-specific polarized type I CD8(+) cytotoxic T (Tc1) or Tc17 cells combined with autologous bone marrow transplantation after total body irradiation. Bone marrow transplantation combined with ACT of antitumor (gp100-specific) Tc17 cells significantly suppressed the growth of established melanoma, whereas Tc1 cells induced long-term tumor regression. After ACT, Tc1 cells maintained their phenotype to produce IFN-γ, but not IL-17. However, although Tc17 cells largely preserved their ability to produce IL-17, a subset secreted IFN-γ or both IFN-γ and IL-17, indicating the plasticity of Tc17 cells in vivo. Furthermore, after ACT, the Tc17 cells had a long-lived effector T cell phenotype (CD127(hi)/KLRG-1(low)) as compared with Tc1 cells. Mechanistically, Tc1 cells mediated antitumor immunity primarily through the direct effect of IFN-γ on tumor cells. In contrast, despite the fact that some Tc17 cells also secreted IFN-γ, Tc17-mediated antitumor immunity was independent of the direct effects of IFN-γ on the tumor. Nevertheless, IFN-γ played a critical role by creating a microenvironment that promoted Tc17-mediated antitumor activity. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that both Tc1 and Tc17 cells can mediate effective antitumor immunity through distinct effector mechanisms, but Tc1 cells are superior to Tc17 cells in mediating tumor regression.

8-methoxypsoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy acts via inhibition of the IL-23/Th17 axis and induction of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells involving CTLA4 signaling in a psoriasis-like skin disorder.

To elucidate the molecular action of 8-methoxypsoralen plus UVA (PUVA), a standard dermatological therapy, we used K5.hTGF-beta1 transgenic mice exhibiting a skin phenotype and cytokine abnormalities with strong similarities to human psoriasis. We observed that impaired function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and increased cytokine levels of the IL-23/Th17 pathway were responsible for the psoriatic phenotype in this mouse model. Treatment of K5.hTGF-beta1 transgenic mice with PUVA suppressed the IL-23/Th17 pathway, Th1 milieu, as well as transcription factors STAT3 and orphan nuclear receptor RORgammat. PUVA induced the Th2 pathway and IL-10-producing CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tregs with disease-suppressive activity that was abolished by anti-CTLA4 mAb treatment. These findings were paralleled by macroscopic and microscopic clearance of the diseased murine skin. Anti-IL-17 mAb treatment also diminished the psoriatic phenotype of the mice. This indicated that both induced Tregs involving CTLA4 signaling and inhibition of the IL-23/Th17 axis are central for the therapeutic action of PUVA.