Recently, scientists (CentredeRechercedel’InstitutUniversitairedeCardiologieetdePeumologiedeQuebec) have found a new culprit that plays a large role in the severity of asthma: it is a small protein known as chemokine, or CCL26. Such an interesting result was published in the journal JournalofLeukocyteBiology, it was the first to demonstrate that this protein is a potential regulator of the migration of asthmatic eosinophils, which, as a rule, can be observed in asthmatic airways. The result obtained may well lead to the definition of a new goal for the drugs used in the treatment of asthma.
According to Michel Laviolette, MD, the researchers hope that the information they receive will help develop an innovative treatment method that can stop bronchial inflammation and provide a specific effective and well-tolerated alternative to existing asthma treatments.
In particular, experimental data suggest that CCL26 chemokine plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of asthma and its severity, since it supports the restoration of eosinophils at the initial stage of the disease and, probably, in the future with severe asthma, which is associated with persistent pulmonary eosinophilia.
Control of eosinophils is a central task in the treatment of asthmatic diseases, and therefore the hidden mechanisms of eosinophilia should be the primary goal of treatment.