Endoplasmic reticulum stress protein GRP78 in asthma inflammation and severity assessment

FENG Xiangli; YAN Kecheng; FENG Xiaoli; GE Juan; WU Yuanyuan

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.04.003

Abstract：Objective To assess the potential of GRP78 as a clinical biomarker in asthma by evaluating its relationship with key inflammatory cytokines and pulmonary function.Methods A total of 115 asthma patients(including 57 with mild,47 with moderate,and 11 with severe asthma)and 42 healthy controls were enrolled.Serum levels of GRP78,IL-4,IL-13,IL-17,and IFN-γ were measured using ELISA.Pulmonary function param-eters,including FEV1% and FEV1/FVC%,were also collected for comprehensive analysis.Results The level of serum GRP78 in the asthma patient group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group(P<0.01),and it increased with the severity of the disease.The levels of GRP78 in the mild,moderate and severe asthma groups were(23.42±0.12)ng/mL,(28.01±0.03)ng/mL and(33.33±0.14)ng/mL respectively,all of which were higher than that in the control group(16.38±0.11)ng/mL(P<0.05).The levels of serum IL-4,IL-13 and IL-17 in asthma patients[(2 754.07±7.32)pg/mL,(2 490.72±41.32)pg/mL,(7 080.38±546.32)pg/mL respectively]were significantly higher than those in the normal control group[(1 493.44±344.32)pg/mL,(1 280.18±20.43)pg/mL,(3 668.92±321.51)pg/mL respectively](P<0.01),while the level of IFN-γ[(652.90±42.67)pg/mL]was lower than that in the control group[(1 101.3±111.42)pg/mL](P<0.01).Pearson correlation analysis showed that GRP78 was positively correlated with the levels of IL-13 and IL-17(IL-13:r=0.34,P<0.05;IL-17:r=0.26,P<0.05),and negatively correlated with the levels of IFN-γ,FEV1% and FEV1/FVC%(IFN-γ:r=-0.31,P<0.05;FEV1%:r=-0.21,P<0.05;FEV1/FVC%:r=-0.32,P<0.05).Conclusions Serum GRP78 is elevated in asthma and correlates with disease severity,Th2/Th17 inflammation,and impaired lung function.These findings support its potential utility as a clinically relevant biomarker for asthma evaluation and monitoring.