Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Background: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) in infants born prematurely is a risk factor for chronic airway obstruction later in life. The distribution of T cell subtypes in the large airways is largely unknown.
Objective: To characterize cellular and T cell profiles in the large airways of young adults with a history of BPD.
Methods: Forty-three young adults born prematurely (preterm (n = 20), BPD (n = 23)) and 45 full-term-born (asthma (n = 23), healthy (n = 22)) underwent lung function measurements, and bronchoscopy with large airway bronchial wash (BW). T-cells subsets in BW were analyzed by immunocytochemistry.
Results: The proportions of both lymphocytes and CD8 + T cells in BW were significantly higher in BPD (median, 6.6%, and 78.0%) when compared with asthma (3.4% and 67.8%, p = 0.002 and p = 0.040) and healthy (3.8% and 40%, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). In all adults born prematurely (preterm and BPD), lymphocyte proportion correlated negatively with forced vital capacity (r= -0.324, p = 0.036) and CD8 + T cells correlated with forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1 (r=-0.448, p = 0.048). Correlation-based network analysis revealed that lung function cluster and BPD-birth cluster were associated with lymphocytes and/or CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. Multivariate regression analysis showed that lymphocyte proportions and BPD severity qualified as independent factors associated with FEV1.
Conclusions: The increased cytotoxic T cells in the large airways in young adults with former BPD, suggest a similar T-cell subset pattern as in the small airways, resembling features of COPD. Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that mechanisms involving adaptive and innate immune responses are involved in the development of airway disease due to preterm birth.
Keywords
Adults, Asthma, Bronchial wash, Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, Lymphocytes
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
2-9-2024
Article Number
86
Volume
25
Issue
1
PubMed ID
38336805
Publication Title
Respiratory Research
Publisher
Springer / BMC
School
School of Science / Centre for Integrative Metabolomics and Computational Biology
Funding Information
This work was financially supported by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation (CMS 20160418, 20180235, 20190320; CEW 20180290, 20200693; AL 20210286), the Swedish Research Council (AL 2021 − 01527), the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Foundation (CMS F2014-0016, F2017-0009), Swedish Respiratory Society (CMS 2016), Samariten Foundation (PUB 2016), Hesselman Foundation (PUB 2016, 2018, 2019) and through the Regional Agreement on Medical Training and Clinical Research between Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet (CMS 20170393, 20200287; AL 20180088). SNR was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MFE-135481) and National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT1140234). JG was supported by Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation Grants (2022–02329).
Open access funding provided by Karolinska Institute.
Grant Number
NHMRC Number : GNT1140234
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Content Type
Full object
Recommended Citation
Gao, J., Um-Bergström, P., Pourbazargan, M., Berggren-Broström, E., Li, C. X., Merikallio, H., . . . &Sköld, M. C. (2024). Large airway t cells in adults with former bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Respiratory Research, 25, Article 86.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-024-02717-1