Single-cell immune profiling of Meniere Disease patients
Marisa Flook, Alba Escalera‐Balsera, Paulina Rybakowska, Lidia Frejo, Ángel Batuecas Caletrío, Juan Carlos Amor‐Dorado, Andrés Soto-Varela, Marta E. Alarcón‐Riquelme, José A. López‐Escámez
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Meniere Disease (MD) is an inner ear syndrome, characterized by episodes of vertigo, tinnitus and fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss. The pathological mechanism leading to sporadic MD is still poorly understood, however an allergic inflammatory response seems to be involved in some patients with MD. OBJECTIVE: Decipher an immune signature associated with the syndrome. METHODS: We performed mass cytometry immune profiling on peripheral blood from MD patients and controls. We analyzed differences in state and differences in abundance of the different cellular subsets. IgE levels were quantified through ELISA on supernatant of cultured whole blood. RESULTS: NK-cells, and changes in cytokine expression with a different response to bacterial and fungal antigens. CONCLUSION: Our results support a systemic inflammatory response in some MD patients that show a type 2 response with allergic phenotype, which could benefit from personalized IL-4 blockers.