Cadherin 26 Knockdown Weakens Allergic Rhinitis-Induced Inflammatory Response

by Linda Kossoff •

CLINICAL QUESTION

Does cadherin 26 (CDH26) contribute to the severity of allergic rhinitis (AR)?

BOTTOM LINE

Cadherin 26 knockdown attenuates the AR-induced inflammatory response both in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is an IgE-mediated inflammation of membranes lining the nose caused by interaction with an allergen. Epithelial barrier dysfunction may be a critical initiator in the pathologic process of AR. Cadherin family proteins are involved in inflammatory diseases, and CDH26, widely expressed in epithelial cells, is implicated in allergic responses.

STUDY DESIGN: In vivo and in vitro study

SETTING: Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China

SYNOPSIS: Researchers investigated the effects of CDH26 knockdown by lentivirus (LV)-mediated shRNA on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR mice and on IL-13-stimulated human nasal epithelial cells (NECs) obtained from 20 patients with AR and 10 controls. Mice were divided into four groups: a control group, an AR group, an AR + LV-shNC group, and an AR + LV-shCDH26 group. Results of the study showed significant increases in the expression of CDH26 mRNA and protein in the nasal mucosa of patients with AR when compared to controls, and in the AR mice. Intranasal instillation of LV-shCDH26 alleviated allergic symptoms and decreased the histological changes of nasal mucosa in AR mice. Furthermore, the serum levels of OVA-specific IgE, IgG, pro-inflammatory factors IL-25, IL-33, and TSLP were decreased in AR mice with CDH26 knockdown. In vitro, CDH26 knockdown inhibited the protein expression of TSLP, granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and eotaxin in NECs, and CDH26 overexpression promoted the production of these inflammatory factors in IL-13-induced NECs. As a study limitation, the authors noted that they only verified the effect of CDH26 knockdown in the commonly used AR model; thus, the therapeutic effect of CDH26 knockdown cannot be confirmed in clinic.

CITATION: Liu T, Sun Y, Guo Z, et al. Knockdown of cadherin 26 prevents the inflammatory responses of allergic rhinitis. Laryngoscope. 2023;133:1558-1567.