RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bronchial thermoplasty upregulates the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor in tissue sections
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA545
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.PA545
VO 58
IS suppl 65
A1 Liang Zhou
A1 Lei Fang
A1 Eleni Papakonstantinou
A1 Michael Tamm
A1 Michael Roth
A1 Daiana Stolz
YR 2021
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA545.abstract
AB Background: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is applied to patients with severe uncontrolled asthma. BT reduced airway wall remodeling and increased quality of life and many patients could reduce the steroiduse. BT modified the expression of heat shock proteins which keep the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in its ligand binding formation.Aims: To examine the expression of the GR in tissue sections of the bronchus before and after BT.Methods: Endobronchial biopsies (n=450) were collected from 30 patients with severe uncontrolled asthma before BT and after one month each of three sequential BT applications. The GR expression was determined in bronchial tissue sections by immunohistochemistry.Results: In all tissues, the GR was expressed in both epithelial cells (EC) and in subepithelial mesenchymal cells (SMC). In EC, the GR expression was higher than in SMC. Compared to before BT, the GR expression was significantly up-regulated after BT in EC (p=0.018) and in SMC (p=0.033). Furthermore, after BT the GR signal was significantly increased in the nucleus compared to tissue section obtained before BT (p=0.036).Conclusion: BT lastingly increased the expression of the GR in EC and SMC. And it was shifted the GR into the nucleus. Epithelial cells require steroids for their recovery from stress and for their differentiation, thus the lasting increased GR expression and its accumulation in the nucleus might help them to repair tissue damage during asthma attacks. In SMC steroids supress proliferation and inflammation.The increased GR expression in SMC might therefore help to reduce airway remodelling. The presented data may explain the reduced requirement of steroids for asthma therapy after BT.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA545.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).