Role of Eosinophil Derived TGF-β1 in the Asthmatic Lung

Abstract

Allergies and associated asthma represent a subset of diseases that have steadily increased in prevalence and severity in the western world. Allergic asthma is an immunological disorder that results in the physiological presentation of wheezing and shortness of breath caused by constriction of lung smooth muscle and narrowing of the airways. These symptoms occur when the lungs are exposed to an allergen. Current studies have found that 8.3% of the United States population has asthma, with figures showing a steady increase each year. While clinical treatment of asthma has been estimated to be $56 billion dollars, there is currently no cure for asthma. As of now, only the symptoms can be treated due to a poorly understood molecular mechanism for the disease. As this disease continues to grow in prevalence, it is critical to understand the underlying causes of the disease in order to develop new treatment options to target these causes rather than symptoms of asthma. Following this point, there have been an increasing amount of publications indicating that eosinophils are a potential effector cell mediating the marked physiological and anatomical changes that this disease brings. Investigation into the role of eosinophils in asthma pathology is needed to understand how this cell type contributes to the classical physiological dysfunction that is seen in allergic asthma cases.