Alteration of Gut Immunity and Microbiome in Mixed Granulocytic Asthma

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that there is an essential link between the gut and lungs. Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease and is considered a heterogeneous disease. While it has been documented that eosinophilic asthma affects gut immunity and the microbiome, the effect of other types of asthma on the gut environment has not been examined. In this study, we utilized an OVA/poly I:C-induced mixed granulocytic asthma model and found increased Tregs without significant changes in other inflammatory cells in the colon. Interestingly, an altered gut microbiome has been observed in a mixed granulocytic asthma model. We observed an increase in the relative abundance of the Faecalibaculum genus and Erysipelotrichaceae family, with a concomitant decrease in the relative abundance of the genera Candidatus arthromitus and Streptococcus. The altered gut microbiome leads to changes in the abundance of genes associated with microbial metabolism, such as glycolysis. We found that mixed granulocytic asthma mainly affects the gut microbial composition and metabolism, which may have important implications in the severity and development of asthma and gut immune homeostasis. This suggests that altered gut microbial metabolism may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with mixed granulocytic asthma.