American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Oct 2015
The Causal Role of IL-4 and IL-13 in Schistosoma mansoni Pulmonary Hypertension.
The etiology of schistosomiasis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a major cause of PAH worldwide, is poorly understood. Schistosoma mansoni exposure results in prototypical type-2 inflammation. Furthermore, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling is required for experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by Schistosoma exposure. ⋯ Combined IL-4 and IL-13 deficiency is required for protection against TGF-β-induced pulmonary vascular disease after Schistosoma exposure, and targeted inhibition of this pathway is a potential novel therapeutic approach for patients with schistosomiasis-associated PAH.