Project description:Innovative and novel therapies are urgently needed for the treatment of patients with severe asthma, especially those who are refractory to standard-of-care bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids. The Zeki lab is investigating the role of the mevalonate (MA) pathway, in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation and remodeling. Although statins all inhibit HMGCR in the same manner in terms of enzyme binding site, the statins’ varied physiochemical properties with respect to their polarity (i.e. lipophilicity) result in very different immune and lipid effects. The major significance of this work is to advance a new class of inhaler therapies for asthma; the statins which work by an entirely different mechanism than current ICS/LABA mainstays. Evidence suggests that statins may have an additive benefit to corticosteroids in asthma, thereby confirming a unique mechanism, namely via MVA pathway inhibition. This becomes particularly important in the severe asthma population which is highly corticosteroid-resistant, is poorly controlled with high exacerbation rates and hospitalizations, and has the highest healthcare costs of all asthma phenotypes. In essence, the potential public health impact of even an incremental improvement in asthma symptom control cannot be underestimated. Even the prevention of 1 asthma attack preserves lung function and reduces the adverse personal and financial impact. This study aimed to determine if statin polarity affects airway drug concentration and systemic drug absorption and to determine the effect of inhaled statins on naïve airway immune cell populations and alveolar-capillary membrane and epithelial barrier integrity in healthy rhesus monkeys. In this particular component of the study, we investigated the metabolic effects resulting from the use of statins in these healthy rhesus monkeys. Specifically, the Newman lab analyzed for lipid mediator (oxylipin, endocannabinoid, fatty acid, and nitro lipid) in lung and trachea tissue, plasma, and BAL and bile acid changes in the lung and trachea tissue and plasma.

Project description:Background: The first step in SARS-CoV-2 infection is binding of the virus to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the airway epithelium. Asthma affects over 300 million people world-wide, many of whom may encounter SARS-CoV-2. Epidemiologic data suggests that asthmatics who get infected may be at increased risk of more severe disease. Our objective was to assess whether maintenance inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), a major treatment for asthma, is associated with airway ACE2 expression in asthmatics. Methods: Large airway epithelium (LAE) of asthmatics treated with maintenance ICS (ICS+), asthmatics not treated with ICS (ICS-), and healthy controls (controls) was analyzed for expression of ACE2 and other coronavirus infection-related genes using microarrays. Results: AsResults: As a group, there was no difference in LAE ACE2 expression in all asthmatics vs controls. In contrast, subgroup analysis demonstrated that LAE ACE2 expression was higher in asthmatics ICS+ compared to ICS‾ and ACE2 expression was higher in male ICS+ compared to female ICS+ and ICS‾ of either sex. ACE2 expression did not correlate with serum IgE, absolute eosinophil level, or change in FEV1 in response to bronchodilators in either ICS- or ICS+. Conclusion: Airway ACE2 expression is increased in asthmatics on long-term treatment with ICS, an observation that should be taken into consideration when assessing the use of inhaled corticosteroids during the pandemic. a group, there was no difference in LAE ACE2 expression in all asthmatics vs controls. In contrast, subgroup analysis demonstrated that LAE ACE2 expression was higher in asthmatics ICS+ compared to ICS‾ and ACE2 expression was higher in male ICS+ compared to female ICS+ and ICS‾ of either sex. ACE2 expression did not correlate with serum IgE, absolute eosinophil level, or change in FEV1 in response to bronchodilators in either ICS- or ICS+. Conclusion: Airway ACE2 expression is increased in asthmatics on long-term treatment with ICS, an observation that should be taken into consideration when assessing the use of inhaled corticosteroids during the pandemic.

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Statin Immuno-Metabolomics in Asthma (part I)

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