The role of eosinophils and corresponding cytokines and chemokines asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) patients

Abstract Background: ACO has been characterized as a kind of clinical disease with overlap symptoms of asthma and COPD. However, little is known of the role of eosinophils and corresponding cytokines and chemokines in ACO patients with different treatment responses. Methods: To evaluate factors which associates with different treatment responses in patients with ACO. In the present study, we investigated the eosinophils proportion of peripheral blood from ACO patients with acute exacerbation (AE) after treatment, ACO patients with clinical response (CR) after treatment, and healthy volunteers (HV) by using flow cytometry analysis. The plasma levels of corresponding cytokines and chemokines from the three groups were evaluated by ELISA.Results: The results showed that ACO patients that had acute exacerbation have relatively lower eosinophils proportions compared to healthy volunteers but have higher eosinophils inflammation compared with patients with clinical response. The percentage of NK1R+ expression population eosinophils was also decreased. Further analysis revealed ACO patients that had acute exacerbation also have relatively higher plasma levels of cytokines and chemokines compared to patients with clinical response after treatments and healthy volunteers.Conclusion: ACO patients from AE group have relatively lower eosinophil proportion and NK1R+ expression population eosinophil proportion, but higher plasma levels of cytokines and chemokines. Inhibitors of cytokines and chemokines are likely useful agents for treatment of ACO patients which had acute exacerbations.