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Xu X, Yu T, Dong L, Glauben R, Wu S, Huang R, Qumu S, Chang C, Guo J, Pan L, Yang T, Lin X, Huang K, Chen Z, Wang C. Eosinophils promote pulmonary matrix destruction and emphysema via Cathepsin L. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:390. [PMID: 37816708 PMCID: PMC10564720 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01634-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who exhibit elevated blood eosinophil levels often experience worsened lung function and more severe emphysema. This implies the potential involvement of eosinophils in the development of emphysema. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the development of eosinophil-mediated emphysema remain unclear. In this study, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to identify eosinophil subgroups in mouse models of asthma and emphysema, followed by functional analyses of these subgroups. Assessment of accumulated eosinophils unveiled distinct transcriptomes in the lungs of mice with elastase-induced emphysema and ovalbumin-induced asthma. Depletion of eosinophils through the use of anti-interleukin-5 antibodies ameliorated elastase-induced emphysema. A particularly noteworthy discovery is that eosinophil-derived cathepsin L contributed to the degradation of the extracellular matrix, thereby leading to emphysema in pulmonary tissue. Inhibition of cathepsin L resulted in a reduction of elastase-induced emphysema in a mouse model. Importantly, eosinophil levels correlated positively with serum cathepsin L levels, which were higher in emphysema patients than those without emphysema. Expression of cathepsin L in eosinophils demonstrated a direct association with lung emphysema in COPD patients. Collectively, these findings underscore the significant role of eosinophil-derived cathepsin L in extracellular matrix degradation and remodeling, and its relevance to emphysema in COPD patients. Consequently, targeting eosinophil-derived cathepsin L could potentially offer a therapeutic avenue for emphysema patients. Further investigations are warranted to explore therapeutic strategies targeting cathepsin L in emphysema patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Xu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Yu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lingling Dong
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease of Zhejiang Province, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rainer Glauben
- Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases, and Rheumatology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Siyuan Wu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ronghua Huang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shiwei Qumu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Chenli Chang
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Pan
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Yang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Lin
- Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Huang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhihua Chen
- Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease of Zhejiang Province, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
- Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
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Grandi A, Ferrini E, Mecozzi L, Ciccimarra R, Zoboli M, Leo L, Khalajzeyqami Z, Kleinjan A, Löwik CWGM, Donofrio G, Villetti G, Stellari FF. Indocyanine-enhanced mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis with hallmarks of progressive emphysema. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2023; 324:L211-L227. [PMID: 36625471 PMCID: PMC9925167 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00180.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of new drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis strongly relies on preclinical experimentation, which requires the continuous improvement of animal models and integration with in vivo imaging data. Here, we investigated the lung distribution of bleomycin (BLM) associated with the indocyanine green (ICG) dye by fluorescence imaging. A long-lasting lung retention (up to 21 days) was observed upon oropharyngeal aspiration (OA) of either ICG or BLM + ICG, with significantly more severe pulmonary fibrosis, accompanied by the progressive appearance of emphysema-like features, uniquely associated with the latter combination. More severe and persistent lung fibrosis, together with a progressive air space enlargement uniquely associated with the BLM + ICG group, was confirmed by longitudinal micro-computed tomography (CT) and histological analyses. Multiple inflammation and fibrosis biomarkers were found to be increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of BLM- and BLM + ICG-treated animals, but with a clear trend toward a much stronger increase in the latter group. Similarly, in vitro assays performed on macrophage and epithelial cell lines revealed a significantly more marked cytotoxicity in the case of BLM + ICG-treated mice. Also unique to this group was the synergistic upregulation of apoptotic markers both in lung sections and cell lines. Although the exact mechanism underlying the more intense lung fibrosis phenotype with emphysema-like features induced by BLM + ICG remains to be elucidated, we believe that this combination treatment, whose overall effects more closely resemble the human disease, represents a valuable alternative model for studying fibrosis development and for the identification of new antifibrotic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Grandi
- 1Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., Corporate Pre-Clinical R&D, Parma, Italy
| | - Erica Ferrini
- 2Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Laura Mecozzi
- 3Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Zoboli
- 2Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Ludovica Leo
- 3Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Zahra Khalajzeyqami
- 4Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alex Kleinjan
- 5Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Clemens W. G. M. Löwik
- 6Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gaetano Donofrio
- 2Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gino Villetti
- 1Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., Corporate Pre-Clinical R&D, Parma, Italy
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