Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Remodeling and Fibrosis in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Recommended Citation
Sharlin CS, Yamada S, Maekawa Y, Osonoi K, Matsuyama K, Osswald GA, Rochman M, Taylor RJ, Yamaguchi M, Tanaka Y, Wen T, Dellon ES, Rothenberg ME, Shoda T. Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Remodeling and Fibrosis in Eosinophilic Esophagitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2026.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-27-2026
Publication Title
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
Keywords
EoE transcriptome; TGF-β; eosinophilic esophagitis; eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases; extracellular matrix; fibrosis; migration; proton pump inhibitors; reactive oxygen species; remodeling
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a progressive fibrostenotic disease. Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a first-line EoE treatment due to their anti-inflammatory effects, their effects on remodeling/fibrosis-likely driven in part by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-remain uncertain.
OBJECTIVE: To elucidate remodeling/fibrosis effects, this study evaluated whether PPIs impact the esophageal transcriptome of PPI-responsive EoE and counteract TGF-β‒induced fibrotic responses in human primary esophageal fibroblasts (HEFs).
METHODS: Prospectively collected paired esophageal biopsies from patients with EoE pre‒/post‒PPI treatment were analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Histologic responsiveness to PPIs was defined as responders (< 15 eosinophils/high-power field, n = 10) or non-responders (≥15 eosinophils/high-power field, n = 9). The ability of PPIs (esomeprazole, omeprazole) to attenuate in vitro, TGF-β‒mediated remodeling/fibrosis in HEFs was analyzed by qPCR, RNA-seq, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, cell migration assays, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurements.
RESULTS: In PPI responders, we identified 746 differentially expressed genes pre‒/post‒PPI treatment (≥2-fold change, P < .05), particularly those enriched in remodeling/fibrosis. In HEFs, TGF-β increased collagen I and α-smooth muscle actin expression via SMAD2/3 phosphorylation; however, PPIs attenuated these responses. RNA-seq revealed that PPIs reversed approximately 30% of TGF-β‒induced changes overlapping with fibrotic responses; 78 genes were concordantly modulated between patient biopsies and HEFs. Functional assays further confirmed that PPIs reduced TGF-β-induced collagen deposition, fibroblast motility, and ROS production.
CONCLUSIONS: PPIs modulate remodeling/fibrosis-related gene expression in patients with EoE and inhibit TGF-β‒induced profibrotic responses in HEFs, supporting antifibrotic potential that may help limit fibrostenotic progression in EoE.
PubMed ID
41765110
ePublication
ePub ahead of print
