Breakthrough in Intractable Neutrophilic Asthma: Groundbreaking Discovery Unlocks New Treatment Possibilities

Research findings have uncovered a group of immune cells that can reduce the excessive inflammatory response in neutrophilic asthma. Getty Images

An effective treatment for “neutrophilic asthma,” which is difficult to treat with existing asthma treatments, has been released.

A joint research team composed of Professor Yoo Ji-hwan and Dr. Han Seung-han from the Department of Biomedical Sciences of Yonsei University College of Medicine announced on the 25th that they have published a study on the discovery of a group of cells that lowers the response inflammation in asthma in the international academic journal “Nature Communications”. The research team explained that they have discovered for the first time a group of immune cells (CD39+CD9+ macrophages) that play a role in the suppression of excessive inflammatory responses through RNA sequencing analysis of single cells from induced experimental mice from neutrophilic asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes breathing difficulties due to swelling or narrowing of the airways through which breathing occurs. It is usually treated with inhaled and systemic steroids, but refractory asthma, including neutrophilic asthma, is difficult to treat because the effect is minimal even when steroids are given in high doses. Neutrophilic asthma worsens when neutrophils, which normally circulate in the bloodstream and quickly defend themselves when foreign substances enter the body, become overly active.

The group of immune cells discovered in this study was found to suppress IL-23 cytokines and Th17 inflammatory cells that induce inflammatory responses during the development of neutrophilic asthma. The level of this group of immune cells found in laboratory mice with neutrophilic asthma was less than 1%, but increased to 5% when antibodies that inhibit the activity of IL-23 were injected. Furthermore, the percentage of neutrophils in the bronchi decreased by 90% and Th17 cells decreased by 80%. After injecting this group of immune cells, the proportion of neutrophils and Th17 cells decreased by 62% and 63%, respectively. The researchers said that this decrease in numbers indicates the effect of the recently discovered specific group of immune cells in alleviating neutrophilic asthma.

Professor Yoo Ji-hwan said: “This study plays an important role in understanding the overall mechanism of neutrophilic asthma, including the cause and treatment of neutrophilic asthma.” groups (CD39+CD9+ macrophages). “We expect it to be useful in treating patients with refractory asthma, including asthma,” he said.