%0 Journal Article %A Thais Mauad %A Diogenes S. Ferreira %A Raquel Annoni %A Bianca L. Oliveira %A Edgard H. Katayama %A Regina M. Carvalho-Pinto %A Klaus F. Rabe %A Alberto Cukier %A Rafael Stelmach %A Marisa Dolhnikoff %T Versican, tenascin, periostin and IL-17A+ cells in severe asthma %D 2014 %J European Respiratory Journal %P 1721 %V 44 %N Suppl 58 %X Background: Fixed airflow obstruction may be present in severe asthmatics, yet how airway remodeling and inflammation relate to airway obstruction is unclear.Aims: To investigate versican, tenascin and periostin content and IL-17A+ cells in the airways of severe asthmatics and their association with lung function.Methods: Sixty-two severe asthmatics received prednisone 40 mg/day for 2 weeks and 800µg budesonide + 24µg formoterol daily for 12 weeks. All patients were non- or ex-smokers ≤10 pack-years. Patients were classified based on post-bronchodilator (BD) lung function after the prednisone trial into 3 groups: non-persistent obstruction (NPO: FEV1 ≥80%pred + FEV1/FVC > 0.70), persistent obstruction (PO: FEV1>50% and <80%pred + FEV1/FVC ≤0.70) or fixed obstruction (FO: FEV1≤50%pred + FEV1/FVC ≤0.70). Bronchial biopsies were performed at the end of 12 weeks. Versican, tenascin and periostin fractional area and IL-17A+ cells were quantified by immunohistochemistry and image analysis in the bronchi inner layer and within the airway smooth muscle (ASM). Data are shown as mean±SD or median(IqR).Results: Fourteen patients were classified as NPO, 36 as PO and 12 as FO. Asthmatics with FO (0.30±0.11) had greater versican in the ASM than asthmatics with PO (0.14±0.09, p<0.05) and NPO (0.13±0.11, p<0.05). There was a trend of greater periostin in the ASM of NPO (0.023[0.037]) vs. PO group (0.006[0.015]), p=0.054. Versican in the ASM of FO patients correlated with pre- (r=0.76, p<0.05) and post-BD FEV1 (r=0.76, p<0.05). The groups had similar tenascin content and IL-17A+ cells.Conclusion: Versican content in the ASM is increased in severe asthmatics with FO and may oppose excessive bronchoconstriction in these patients. %U