Citation

Carvalho TT, Ross BL, Jena PK, Atici AE, Gomez AC, Fishbein MC, Aubuchon EA, Lee Y, Lee RT, Jacobsen EA, Verri WA, Chen S, Crother TR, Arditi M, Noval Rivas M. 2026. IL-33 blockade attenuates vascular inflammation in a mouse model of Kawasaki disease vasculitis. Clinical and experimental immunology. 220(1). Pubmed: 41533763 DOI:10.1093/cei/uxaf086

Abstract

The immune mechanisms underlying Kawasaki disease (KD), a febrile systemic vasculitis in children, are poorly understood. Reports indicate elevated levels of circulating IL-33 in acute KD patients; however, if IL-33 contributes to the pathogenesis of KD vasculitis remains unclear. Here, we used the Lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE)-induced murine model of KD to determine the contribution of IL-33 to vasculitis development. We observed increased expression of Il33 transcripts and IL-33 protein in LCWE-induced cardiovascular lesions. Bone marrow chimera experiments suggest that IL-33 production by both hematopoietic and stromal cells is important for LCWE-induced KD vasculitis; however, single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and flow cytometric analysis revealed that stromal cells were the predominant sources of IL-33. Furthermore, immune cells infiltrating LCWE-induced cardiovascular lesions expressed Il1rl1 transcripts, coding for the IL-33 receptor ST2. In vitro stimulation of bone marrow-derived macrophages with IL-33 enhanced their production of IL-1b and TNF-α. In vivo blockade of IL-33, using either neutralizing IL-33 antibody or Il33-/- mice, effectively attenuated LCWE-induced cardiovascular inflammation. Our results indicate that IL-33 contributes to LCWE-induced vascular inflammation through redundant mechanisms across multiple immune cell subsets rather than a single population and highlight IL-33 as a potential therapeutic target.
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Rich Lee seeks to understand heart failure and metabolic diseases that accompany human aging, and translate that understanding into therapies. Lee is an active clinician, regularly treating patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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