IL-25 induces airway remodeling in asthma by orchestrating the phenotypic changes of epithelial cell and fibrocyte

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that IL-25 levels are increased in patients with asthma with fixed airflow limitation (FAL). However, the mechanism by which IL-25 contributes to airway remodeling and FAL remains unclear. Here, we hypothesized that IL-25 facilitates pro-fibrotic phenotypic changes in bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) and circulating fibrocytes (CFs), orchestrates pathological crosstalk from BECs to CFs, and thereby contributes to airway remodeling and FAL. METHODS: Fibrocytes from asthmatic patients with FAL and chronic asthma murine models were detected using flow cytometry, multiplex staining and multispectral imaging analysis. The effect of IL-25 on BECs and CFs and on the crosstalk between BECs and CFs was determined using cell culture and co-culture systems. RESULTS: We found that asthmatic patients with FAL had higher numbers of IL-25 receptor (i.e., IL-17RB)(+)-CFs, which were negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV(1)/FVC). The number of airway IL-17RB(+)-fibrocytes was significantly increased in ovalbumin (OVA)- and IL-25-induced asthmatic mice versus the control subjects. BECs stimulated with IL-25 exhibited an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like phenotypic changes. CFs stimulated with IL-25 produced high levels of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and connective tissue growth factors (CTGF). These profibrotic effects of IL-25 were partially blocked by the PI3K-AKT inhibitor LY294002. In the cell co-culture system, OVA-challenged BECs facilitated the migration and expression of ECM proteins and CTGF in CFs, which were markedly blocked using an anti-IL-17RB antibody. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that IL-25 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for asthmatic patients with FAL. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-023-02509-z.