Journal of Asthma and Allergy (Apr 2022)
The Role of Defective Epithelial Barriers in Allergic Lung Disease and Asthma Development
Abstract
Nazek Noureddine,1– 3 Maciej Chalubinski,4 Paulina Wawrzyniak1,2 1Division of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 2Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 3Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 4Department of Immunology and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, PolandCorrespondence: Paulina Wawrzyniak, Division of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland, Tel +41 44 266 75 42, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: The respiratory epithelium constitutes the physical barrier between the human body and the environment, thus providing functional and immunological protection. It is often exposed to allergens, microbial substances, pathogens, pollutants, and environmental toxins, which lead to dysregulation of the epithelial barrier and result in the chronic inflammation seen in allergic diseases and asthma. This epithelial barrier dysfunction results from the disturbed tight junction formation, which are multi-protein subunits that promote cell–cell adhesion and barrier integrity. The increasing interest and evidence of the role of impaired epithelial barrier function in allergy and asthma highlight the need for innovative approaches that can provide new knowledge in this area. Here, we review and discuss the current role and mechanism of epithelial barrier dysfunction in developing allergic diseases and the effect of current allergy therapies on epithelial barrier restoration.Keywords: bronchial epithelial cells, asthma, allergy, tight junction, inflammation
