Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is known as a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). RSV infection induces the upregulation of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3). This study aimed to investigate the association of TLR3 with RSV induced acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Serum/sputum samples from AECOPD patients, stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (SCOPD) patients, and healthy controls were collected. Nested PCR was used to detect RSV. The lung function parameters were assessed by blood gas and lung function analysis. The expression levels of inflammatory factors in sputum and serum samples were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. BEAS-2B cell lines were infected with RSV, and the expression of TLR3 mRNA was determined by PCR and the levels of inflammatory factors were also investigated. The presence of RSV was detected in 3 SCOPD and 8 AECOPD patients, but not in healthy patients. The expression levels of TNF-α and IRF-3 in both sputum and serum samples of RSV-positive group were significantly higher than in RSV-negative group. TLR3 mRNA levels in RSV-positive group were significantly higher than those in RSV-negative group. Interestingly, the level of TLR3 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with oxygenation index and lung function parameters. Furthermore, BEAS-2B cells infected with RSV led to significant increase of the expression of TLR3 mRNA and inflammatory factors IFN-β, IL-13, IL-32, and TNF-α. Our observations indicate that AECOPD is associated with RSV infection and the upregulation of TLR3.
Highlights
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic disease with high mortality and morbidity (Ford et al, 2015)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was not detected in healthy group, while RSV was detected in 3 stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (SCOPD) patients (3/30) and 8 acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients (8/30)
Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) mRNA levels in the AECOPD group were significantly higher than the corresponding levels in the SCOPD group
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic disease with high mortality and morbidity (Ford et al, 2015). The incidence of COPD in Chinese over 40 years old was as high as 13.7% (Wang et al, 2018). The diagnosis and treatment of COPD have significantly improved, the survival of patients remains poor due to COPD-induced irreversible lung dysfunction (Lange et al, 2015). Airway remodeling is a typical pathological feature of COPD, and neutrophils are the main effector cells. Lymphocytes are the primary cells implicated in airway inflammation, and the percentages of CD8+ cells. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key components of innate and adaptive immune system, and have been implicated in tumor progression, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases (Alexander et al, 2016).
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