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Surfactant Protein A Can Affect Macrophage Phagocytosis: An Important Pathogenic Mechanism of Otitis Media with Effusion

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Abstract

Otitis media with effusion (OME), also known as secretory otitis media, is a common condition in otorhinolaryngology. The main manifestations include middle ear effusion and conductive hearing loss. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the etiology of OME, wherein immune dysfunction is one important pathogenic mechanism. However, it is unknown whether changes in surfactant protein A (SPA) secretion affect the phagocytic activity of macrophages in the Eustachian tube, thereby altering pathogen clearance, during the pathogenesis of OME. In our study, an OME animal model was established and evaluated. Differences in SPA levels in Eustachian tube lavage fluid between the experimental and control groups were analyzed. Cell-based experiments revealed that SPA decreased the expression of CD64 and SYK and inhibited phagocytosis by RAW264.7 cells. By using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence, we confirmed that macrophage phagocytosis decreased with increasing SPA levels. Finally, we concluded that SPA affects macrophage function and plays a role in the occurrence and development of OME.

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Funding

This work was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970873), the Major Fundamental Research Program of the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (ZR2021ZD40), and the Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province (No. ts20130913).

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  1. Tao Chen and Guodong Li are co-first authors and equally contribute to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, No. 4, Duanxing West Road, Huaiyin District, Jinan, 250023, China

    Tao Chen, Guodong Li, Wenwen Liu, Zhaomin Fan & Li Li

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital/The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

    Tao Chen

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital/The Fifth Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China

    Guodong Li

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  1. Tao Chen
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Correspondence to Li Li.

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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee.

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Chen, T., Li, G., Liu, W. et al. Surfactant Protein A Can Affect Macrophage Phagocytosis: An Important Pathogenic Mechanism of Otitis Media with Effusion. JARO 24, 171–180 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-023-00893-3

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