Neural Innervation of the Immune Response Could Lead to Treatments for Severe Asthma: The Screening of Neurotransmitters on T Helper 17 Cell Differentiation

Authors

Kate Cowger, DePauw University
Wei Wang PhD
Xingbin Ai PhD

Files

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 2021

Abstract

T Helper 17 (Th17) cell-driven neutrophilic asthma is a rare, yet severe phenotype that accounts for over 75% of all asthma related medical costs. Neural innervation has been known play a role in the immune response and we investigated whether the addition of neurotransmitters to would affect Th17 cell differentiation. Results indicated that neural innervation upregulated Th17 cell differentiation and expression of its cytokine IL-17 that is responsible for the severe symptoms seen in neutrophilic asthma.

Funding and Acknowledgements

Thank you to Dr. Xingbin Ai, Dr. Wei Wang, and Dr. Bryan Hurley Neonatology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Robert West, Psychology and Neuroscience Department, DePauw University

Funding: National Institutes of Health

Recommended Citation

Cowger, Kate; Wang, Wei PhD; and Ai, Xingbin PhD, "Neural Innervation of the Immune Response Could Lead to Treatments for Severe Asthma: The Screening of Neurotransmitters on T Helper 17 Cell Differentiation" (2021). Annual Student Research Poster Session. 61.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/srfposters/61