Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 Enhances Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation in Severe Asthma

PURPOSE: Severe asthma (SA) is characterized by persistent airway inflammation and remodeling, followed by lung function decline. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the pathogenesis of SA. METHODS: . RESULTS: functional studies showed that TIMP-1 directly activated eosinophils and macrophages, and induced the release of EETs and macrophages to polarize toward M2 subset, which was suppressed by anti-TIMP-1 antibody. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TIMP-1 enhances eosinophilic airway inflammation and that serum TIMP-1 may be a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target for type 2 SA.