Rationale: Nitric oxide (NO) is elevated in the airways and serum of allergic asthmatic patients, suggesting an important role in asthma. NO production has been widely attributed to the canonical inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Much effort has been made to inhibit this enzyme with two outcomes: no asthma improvement; and partial NO reduction, suggesting the involvement of an iNOS-independent source.
Objectives: Neutrophils produce NO under inflammatory conditions and their role in asthma has been overlooked. The present study analyzes their possible role as source of NO.
Methods: Our hypothesis was tested in 99 allergic patients with intermittent bronchial asthma and 26 healthy donors. NO production by blood and sputum neutrophils in response to allergens, anti-IgE, and anti-IgE receptors Abs was assessed by Griess, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Extracellular traps (ETs) formation, as a possible consequence of NO production, was quantified by western blot and confocal microscopy, and reactive oxygen species by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence.
Results: Among blood and sputum granulocytes from allergic asthmatic patients, only neutrophils, produce NO by an IgE-dependent mechanism. This production is independent of NOS, but dependent on a reaction between L-arginine and reactive oxygen species from NOX2. NO and ETosis are induced in parallel, and NO amplifies ETs formation, which is a key mediator in asthma.
Conclusions: Our findings reveal a novel role of neutrophils as the unique allergen/IgE-dependent NO source in allergic asthma enhancing ETs formation. These results suggest that NO produced by neutrophils needs further consideration in the treatment of allergic asthma.
Keywords: allergy; asthma; extracellular traps; neutrophils; nitric oxide.