Evidence mapPaperPMID 41735995Full record

ArticleLipids in health and disease2026

Lysophosphatidylcholine 18:2 exacerbates Th17-dominant inflammation in obese asthma.

Liting Cao, Huan Liu, Ying Shang, Zemin Li, Yingying Ge, Tingting Hu, Abudureyimujiang Aili, Chun Chang

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Article in Lipids in health and disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Liting CaoDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Huan LiuDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Ying ShangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Zemin LiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Yingying GeDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Tingting HuDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Abudureyimujiang AiliDepartment of Medical Oncology and Radiation Sickness, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China. aa@bjmu.edu.cn.
Chun ChangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. changc@bjmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Beijing Natural Science Foundation 7232205National Natural Science Foundation of China 81902909National Natural Science Foundation of China 82370032Peking University Third Hospital's Cohort Construction Project BYSYDL2021020
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundObese asthma is increasingly recognized as a distinct clinical phenotype, often associated with greater disease severity and non-type 2-skewed inflammation. Obesity-associated lipid dysregulation may contribute to its pathogenesis through immunomodulatory mechanisms. This study aimed to characterize the glycerophospholipid profile of obese asthma and to investigate the functional impact of candidate lipids on immune responses.

methodsWe performed targeted lipidomic analysis of serum glycerophospholipids in patients with overweight/obese asthma and those with normal-weight asthma. A house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma model was established in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice to evaluate pulmonary pathology and T-cell immune polarization. The immunomodulatory effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 18:2 were assessed using in vivo experiments and in vitro T helper 17 (Th17) differentiation assays. Cellular uptake of LPC by naïve CD4⁺ T cells was quantified to explore the mechanism underlying the reduced circulating abundance of LPC 18:2.

resultsLipidomic profiling revealed a differential glycerophospholipid signature in obese asthma, with LPC 18:2 exhibiting the most pronounced reduction. Obese asthmatic mice exhibited exacerbated airway inflammation consistent with a Th17-skewed immune response. Despite reduced circulating levels, administration of exogenous LPC 18:2 further aggravated airway inflammation and selectively enhanced Th17 polarization in these mice. In vitro assays confirmed that LPC 18:2 directly promotes Th17 differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, naïve CD4⁺ T cells from obese mice showed increased LPC uptake, potentially explaining both the reduced circulating LPC 18:2 levels and its amplified pro-inflammatory effects in obese asthma.

conclusionsOur findings highlight LPC 18:2 as a potential metabolic regulator that may link obesity-associated lipid disturbances to pathological Th17-skewed immune responses. Modulation of LPC 18:2-related pathways may therefore represent a novel therapeutic strategy for this asthma phenotype.

Indexed as

AsthmaInflammationLysophosphatidylcholinesObesityTh17 CellsAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleGlycerophospholipidsHumansLipidomicsMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPyroglyphidaeGlycerophospholipidsLysophosphatidylcholinesLipid metabolismLysophosphatidylcholineObese asthmaTh17 cells

Identifiers

PMID41735995
PMCPMC13037044

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.