Expression of MAPK1 in patients with refractory asthma and its immunomodulatory role

YAN Weiguo; LIN Shuang

doi:10.13431/j.cnki.immunol.j.20250059

Abstract：Objective To investigate expression of MAPK1(p38)in patients with refractory asthma and its association with immune abnormalities,so as to provide a new target for the treatment of refractory asthma.Methods A total of 60 asthma patients were enrolled,including 30 patients with refractory asthma and 30 with non-refractory asthma,and another 30 healthy physical examinees were enrolled as the control group.RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the gene and protein expression of MAPK1 in peripheral blood samples.Additionally,flow cytometry was employed to assess the proportions of immune cells related to MAPK1,such as dendritic cells,neutrophils,macrophages,and CD8+T cells.Results RT-qPCR and Western blot results indicated that ERK1/2,JNK,MEK1/2 and p38 expression levels were significantly higher in both non-refractory asthma and refractory asthma patients compared with the healthy controls(P<0.01).Flow cytometry analysis revealed that patients with refractory asthma had significantly elevated levels of dendritic cells,neutrophils,M0 and M1 macrophages compared with non-refractory asthma patients,while CD8+T cell and M2 macrophage levels were significantly lower(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion MAPK1 is highly expressed in patients with refractory asthma and is associated with the changes in immune cell populations.These findings suggest that the MAPK1 signaling pathway plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of refractory asthma and may serve as a potential therapeutic target.