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Journal of veterinary internal medicine2023; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16941

Severe asthma in horsed is associated with increased airway innervation.

Abstract: Altered innervation structure and function contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness in human asthma, yet the role of innervation in airflow limitation in asthma in horses remains unknown. Objective: To characterize peribronchial innervation in horses with asthma. We hypothesized that airway innervation increases in horses with asthma compared with controls. Methods: Formalin-fixed lung samples from 8 horses with severe asthma and 8 healthy horses from the Equine Respiratory Tissue Biobank. Ante-mortem lung function was recorded. Methods: Blinded case-control study. Immunohistochemistry was performed using rabbit anti-s100 antibody as a neuronal marker for myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells. The number and cumulative area of nerves in the peribronchial region and associated with airway smooth muscle were recorded using histomorphometry and corrected for airway size. Results: Both the number (median [IQR]: 1.87 × 10 nerves/μm [1.28 × 10 ]) and the cumulative nerve area (CNA; 1.03 × 10 CNA/μm [1.57 × 10 ]) were higher in the peribronchial region of horses with asthma compared with controls (5.17 × 10 nerves/μm [3.76 × 10 ], 4.14 × 10 CNA/μm [2.54 × 10 ], Mann-Whitney, P = .01). The number of nerves within or lining airway smooth muscle was significantly higher in horses with asthma (4.47 × 10 nerves/μm [5.75 × 10 ]) compared with controls (2.26 × 10 nerves/μm [1.16 × 10 ], Mann-Whitney, P = .03). Conclusions: Asthma in horses is associated with greater airway innervation, possibly contributing to airway smooth muscle remodeling and exacerbating severity of the disease.
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2023-12-06 PubMed ID: 38054207DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16941Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explores the connection between the structure of airway innervation and severity of asthma in horses. The study found that horses with asthma have significantly greater airway innervation than healthy ones, which could potentially contribute to the severity of the disease.

Objective of the Study

The primary objective of the research was to investigate peribronchial innervation in horses suffering from asthma. The researchers hypothesized that there are increases in airway innervation among asthmatic horses in comparison to healthy ones.

Methodology

  • The research used lung samples from 8 horses afflicted by severe asthma and 8 healthy horses, these samples were obtained from the Equine Respiratory Tissue Biobank.
  • The study further recorded the ante-mortem lung function of these horses.
  • The lung samples were formalin-fixed and a blinded case-control study was conducted.
  • An immunohistochemistry procedure was carried out using rabbit anti-s100 antibody as a neuronal marker. This marker identifies the presence of myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells.
  • The number and cumulative area of nerves specifically in the peribronchial region and associated with airway smooth muscle were determined through histomorphometry and then corrected for airway size.

Results

  • The findings suggested that both the number and cumulative nerve area were higher in the peribronchial region of horses with asthma compared to healthy controls. The number of nerves within or lining airway smooth muscle was also significantly higher in asthmatic horses.
  • Data indicated that airway innervation is greater in horses with asthma, a factor that may contribute to the remodeling of airway smooth muscle, which exacerbates the severity of the disease.

Conclusion

The research concluded that asthma in horses correlates with increased airway innervation. This increased innervation can potentially cause greater severity in the disease by increasing the remodeling of airway smooth muscle. This finding could play a crucial role in developing new strategies for managing asthma in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Leduc L, Leclère M, Gauthier LG, Marcil O, Lavoie JP. (2023). Severe asthma in horsed is associated with increased airway innervation. J Vet Intern Med. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16941

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Leduc, Laurence
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Leclère, Mathilde
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Gauthier, Laurie Girardot
  • Collège André Grasset, Montréal, Q, Canada.
Marcil, Olivier
  • Collège André Grasset, Montréal, Q, Canada.
Lavoie, Jean-Pierre
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.

Grant Funding

  • PJT-148807 / CIHR

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
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  3. Meiseberg LK, Delarocque J, de Buhr N, Ohnesorge B. Clinical variability of equine asthma phenotypes and analysis of diagnostic steps in phenotype differentiation. Acta Vet Scand 2024 Sep 18;66(1):51.
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