Dissertation: The role of inflammatory cells in sarcoidosis and asthma
Welcome to Mu Nie's doctoral thesis defence at Karolinska Institutet on April 23.
Mu Nie, what is the thesis about and can you tell us about the results?
In the first part of my thesis, I explored the involvement of mononuclear phagocytes in pulmonary sarcoidosis pathogenesis. We found pulmonary monocytes contribute significantly to inflammation in sarcoidosis by producing TNF, which is also associated with disease progression. Additionally, circulating and pulmonary dendritic cells from sarcoidosis patients effectively induce T cell proliferation with a Th1 phenotype.
The second part aimed to investigate the role of airway-infiltrating inflammatory cells in allergic asthma pathophysiology. Firstly, monensin was identified as an effective substance to decrease mast cell populations and alleviating mast cell-related antigen-induced bronchoconstriction in isolated airways from both guinea pig and human. Further experiments with monensin in vivo highlighted the pivotal role of mast cell hyperplasia in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in allergic asthma. Additionally, by overcoming post-mortem bronchoconstriction in guinea pig small airways, the last study revealed that guinea pig intralobular bronchi closely resembled human pharmacological features. Combining this newly established guinea pig intralobular bronchi model with the modified guinea pig asthma in vivo model, it was found that allergic airway inflammation amplified mast cell responses, providing further insights into the pathophysiology of allergic asthma.
Link to the thesis: The role of inflammatory cells in sarcoidosis and asthma
About the dissertation
Time: April 23 at 9.00 AM
Location: Biomedicum, Room A0315 (Peter Reichard)
Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Mikael Adner
Unit of Experimental Asthma and Allergy Research
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
Co-supervisors
Professor Gunnar Nilsson
Division of Immunology and Allergy
Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet
Assistant Professor Jesper Säfholm
Unit of Experimental Asthma and Allergy Research
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
Opponent
Associate Professor Hamid Akbarshahi
Division of Translational Respiratory Medicine
Department of Clinical Sciences
Lund University