Induction and inhibition of the Th2 phenotype spread: implications for childhood asthma.

Childhood Asthma Phenotype Spread: Implications for Induction and Inhibition of the Th2

Induction and Inhibition of the Th2 Phenotype Spread: Implications for Childhood Asthma

METHODS. To induce and characterize phenotype spread, BALB/c mice were first immunized by a series of subcutaneous injections of egg ovalbumin and then challenged intranasally with ovalbumin, ragweed, or both simultaneously. Mice were finally challenged intranasally with ragweed alone to assess allergic response (Th2-mediated lung inflammation, ragweed-specific immunoglobulin E). To study the e...

Airway Inflammatory Biomarker: Could It Tailor the Right Medications for the Right Asthmatic Patient?

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, in which asthmatic patients present with different clinical phenotypes, variable endotypes, and different response to asthma medicines. Thus, we are faced with an asthma paradox; asthma is diagnosed subjectively by clinical history and treated with biologically active drugs. To solve this paradox, we need objective airway biomarkers to tailor the proper medica...

Responses of Airway Epithelium to Environmental Injury: Role in the Induction Phase of Childhood Asthma

The pathogenesis of allergic asthma in childhood remains poorly understood. Environmental factors which appear to contribute to allergic sensitisation, with development of a Th2-biased immunological response in genetically predisposed individuals, include wheezing lower respiratory viral infections in early life and exposure to airborne environmental pollutants. These may activate pattern recog...

Notch Ligand DLL4 Alleviates Allergic Airway Inflammation via Induction of a Homeostatic Regulatory Pathway

Notch is a pleiotropic signaling family that has been implicated in pathogenesis of allergic airway diseases; however, the distinct function of individual Notch ligands remains elusive. We investigated whether Notch ligands, Jagged1 and DLL4, exert differential effects in OVA-induced allergic asthma. We found that whilst Jagged1 inhibition mitigated Th2-dominated airway inflammation, blockage o...