A Pilot Study To Investigate the Immune-Modulatory Effects of Fasting in Steroid-Naive Mild Asthmatics

J Immunol. 2018 Sep 1;201(5):1382-1388. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1800585. Epub 2018 Jul 18.

Abstract

A fasting mimetic diet blunts inflammation, and intermittent fasting has shown ameliorative effects in obese asthmatics. To examine whether canonical inflammatory pathways linked with asthma are modulated by fasting, we designed a pilot study in mild asthmatic subjects to assess the effect of fasting on the NLRP3 inflammasome, Th2 cell activation, and airway epithelial cell cytokine production. Subjects with documented reversible airway obstruction and stable mild asthma were recruited into this study in which pulmonary function testing (PFT) and PBMCextraction was performed 24 h after fasting, with repeated PFT testing and blood draw 2.5 h after refeeding. PFTs were not changed by a prolonged fast. However, steroid-naive mild asthmatics showed fasting-dependent blunting of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, PBMCs from these fasted asthmatics cocultured with human epithelial cells resulted in blunting of house dust mite-induced epithelial cell cytokine production and reduced CD4+ T cell Th2 activation compared with refed samples. This pilot study shows that prolonged fasting blunts the NLRP3 inflammasome and Th2 cell activation in steroid-naive asthmatics as well as diminishes airway epithelial cell cytokine production. This identifies a potential role for nutrient level-dependent regulation of inflammation in asthma. Our findings support the evaluation of this concept in a larger study as well as the potential development of caloric restriction interventions for the treatment of asthma.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Asthma / immunology*
  • Asthma / pathology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Fasting*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunomodulation*
  • Inflammasomes / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / immunology
  • Pilot Projects
  • Steroids
  • Th2 Cells / immunology*
  • Th2 Cells / pathology

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Inflammasomes
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • NLRP3 protein, human
  • Steroids