Tissue-specific inducible IL-33 expression elicits features of eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background: IL-33 is a type 2 inflammatory cytokine that is elevated in the esophageal epithelium of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) subjects. We previously developed a mouse model of EoE dependent on constitutive overexpression of IL-33 from the esophageal epithelium (EoE33).

Objective: Our objective was to develop an inducible, IL-33-dependent model of EoE and examine induction of EoE-associated pathology.

Oral mucosa effectively protects against peanut allergy in mice.

Background: Oral consumption of peanut products early in life reduces the incidence of peanut allergy in children. However, little is known about whether exposure via the oral mucosa alone is sufficient or whether the gastrointestinal tract must be engaged to protect against peanut allergy.

Objective: We used a mouse model and examined the effects of peanut allergen administration to only the oral cavity on allergy development induced by environmental exposure.

Location versus ID: what matters to lung-resident memory T cells?

Tissue-resident memory T cells (T cells) are vital for the promotion of barrier immunity. The lung, a tissue constantly exposed to foreign pathogenic or non-pathogenic antigens, is not devoid of these cells. Lung T cells have been considered major players in either the protection against respiratory viral infections or the pathogenesis of lung allergies.

Epithelial overexpression of IL-33 induces eosinophilic esophagitis dependent on IL-13.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly common inflammatory condition of the esophagus; however, the underlying immunologic mechanisms remain poorly understood. The epithelium-derived cytokine IL-33 is associated with type 2 immune responses and elevated in esophageal biopsy specimens from patients with EoE.

Objective: We hypothesized that overexpression of IL-33 by the esophageal epithelium would promote the immunopathology of EoE.

Cholinergic sensing of allergen exposure by airway epithelium promotes type 2 immunity in the lungs.

Background: Nonneuronal cells, including epithelial cells, can produce acetylcholine (ACh). Muscarinic ACh receptor antagonists are used clinically to treat asthma and other medical conditions; however, knowledge regarding the roles of ACh in type 2 immunity is limited.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate the roles of epithelial ACh in allergic immune responses.

Allergies Come Clean: The Role of Detergents in Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction.

Purpose Of Review: The prevalence and incidence of allergic disease have been rising in Westernized countries since the twentieth century. Increasingly, evidence suggests that damage to the epithelium initiates and shapes innate and adaptive immune responses to external antigens. The objective of this review is to examine the role of detergents as a potential risk factor for developing allergic disease.

Food-Specific IgG4 Is Elevated Throughout the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Background: Food-specific immunoglobulin G4 (FS-IgG4) is associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE); however, it is not clear whether production is limited to the esophagus.

Aims: To assess FS-IgG4 levels in the upper gastrointestinal tract and plasma and compare these with endoscopic disease severity, tissue eosinophil counts, and patient-reported symptoms.

Methods: We examined prospectively banked plasma, throat swabs, and upper gastrointestinal biopsies (esophagus, gastric antrum, and duodenum) from control (n = 15), active EoE (n = 24), and inactive EoE (n = 8) subjects undergoing upper endoscopy.

Immunologic and pathologic characterization of a novel swine biomedical research model for eosinophilic esophagitis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergy-mediated condition with an increasing incidence in both children and adults. Despite EoE's strong impact on human health and welfare, there is a large unmet need for treatments with only one recently FDA-approved medication for EoE. The goal of this study was to establish swine as a relevant large animal model for translational biomedical research in EoE with the potential to facilitate development of therapeutics.

Eosinophil Peroxidase Staining Enhances the Diagnostic Utility of the Cytosponge in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Introduction: We aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) staining on Cytosponge (CS) samples in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Methods: Esophageal biopsy (BX) samples from adult subjects with EoE were assessed using peak eosinophils per high-power field (eos/hpf), EPX, and the EoE histologic scoring system. EPX staining and eos/hpf were compared (BX vs CS).

Detergent exposure induces epithelial barrier dysfunction and eosinophilic inflammation in the esophagus.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergic disease associated with type 2 inflammation and epithelial barrier dysfunction. The etiology is unknown, however, genetic heritability studies suggest environmental factors play a key role in pathogenesis. Detergents, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), are common ingredients in household products such as dish soap and toothpaste.

Eosinophils in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: The Road to Fibrostenosis is Paved With Good Intentions.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an antigen-driven disease associated with epithelial barrier dysfunction and chronic type 2 inflammation. Eosinophils are the defining feature of EoE histopathology but relatively little is known about their role in disease onset and progression. Classically defined as destructive, end-stage effector cells, eosinophils (a resident leukocyte in most of the GI tract) are increasingly understood to play roles in local immunity, tissue homeostasis, remodeling, and repair.

Assessment of Lung Eosinophils In Situ Using Immunohistological Staining.

Eosinophils are rare white blood cells that are recruited from circulation to accumulate in the lung in mouse models of allergic respiratory inflammation. In hematoxylin-eosin (HE) stained lungs, eosinophils may be difficult to detect despite their bright eosin staining in the secondary granules. For this reason, antibody-mediated detection of eosinophils is preferable for specific and clearer identification of these cells.