Microecology research: a new target for the prevention of asthma

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of asthma have increased remarkably in recent years. There are lots of factors contributing to the occurrence and development of asthma. With the improvement of sequencing technology, it has been found that the microbiome plays an important role in the formation of asthma in early life. The roles of the microbial environment and human microbiome in the occurrence and development of asthma have attracted more and more attention. The environmental microbiome influences the occurrence of asthma by shaping the human microbiome. The specific mechanism may be related to the immune regulation of Toll-like receptors and T cells (special Tregs). Intestinal microbiome is formed and changed by regulating diet and lifestyle in early life, which may affect the development and maturation of the pulmonary immune system through the intestinal-pulmonary axis. It is well-recognized that both environmental microbiomes and human microbiomes can influence the onset of asthma. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in the research of microbiome, its relationship with asthma, and the possible mechanism of the microbiome in the occurrence and development of asthma. The research of the microbial environment and human microbiome may provide a new target for the prevention of asthma in children who have high-risk factors to allergy. However, further study of “when and how” to regulate microbiome is still needed.

Herbal Medicine, Gut Microbiota, and COVID-19

“…Changes in the intestinal flora may promote the immune response dominated by respiratory allergies, thus playing an essential role in respiratory diseases' pathogenesis ( Bjorksten et al, 2001 ). Also, the increase in asthma risk is related to the rise in the number and abundance of Bacteroides fragilis and total anaerobes in the intestine ( Shi H.-L. et al, 2020 ). The intestinal composition flora of asthma patients has undergone significant changes.…”

Contribution of Regulatory T Cell Methylation Modifications to the Pathogenesis of Allergic Airway Diseases

“…Feeding mice a high-fiber diet produced distinctive gut microbiota that markedly suppressed allergic airway disease [ 46 ]. These mice exhibited enhanced number and functionality of Treg cells as a result of the acetylation of the Foxp3 promoter, which was likely due to impaired histone deacetylases 9 (HDAC9) activity [ 47 , 48 ]. Food allergies have also been linked to the epigenetic modification of Treg cells.…”

Emerging Roles of Non-Coding RNAs in Childhood Asthma

“…At present, asthma predictive index is used to judge childhood asthma with wheezing combined with clinical experience at home and abroad, but the diagnosis of asthma in children under 6 years old is still a challenging clinical problem ( Lee et al, 2019a ; Driscoll et al, 2020 ). Underdiagnosis of asthma leads to delays in the optimal timing of asthma treatment and may prompt the transition from mild asthma to severe, refractory asthma ( Shi et al, 2020 ). Although the efficacy of pharmacotherapies including inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists may help prevent airway remodeling, they cannot reverse the established airway remodeling ( Huo et al, 2021 ).…”