# The Role of Insulin in Obesity-Related Asthma

> **NIH NIH F30** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $50,313

## Abstract

Project Summary
Obesity-related asthma is a significant comorbidity exacerbated by the accelerating global obesity public health
crisis. Obese individuals are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma, and make up the majority
of asthmatic patients with severe or difficult-to-treat asthma. These individuals often respond poorly to typical
asthma medications, such as corticosteroids, which leads to higher healthcare costs and a substantially
reduced quality of life. Although obesity is known to increase the incidence and severity of asthma, the
mechanisms driving obesity-related asthma are still not fully defined. There have been a limited number of
investigations into mechanisms involving insulin and excessive nerve-mediated bronchoconstriction of the
airways, a defining feature of asthma, in obesity-related asthma. Understanding the role of insulin and its effect
on the development of obesity-related asthma is critical to targeting preventative interventions and treatments.
The goal of this proposal is to elucidate the functional and structural consequences of insulin-mediated
changes on reflex bronchoconstriction and airway sensory nerves in the setting of obesity and
hyperinsulinemia. The overall hypothesis is that hyperinsulinemia in obesity potentiates airway nerve-
mediated reflex bronchoconstriction through increased sensory innervation of the airway epithelium and
increased neuronal expression of substance P. This hypothesis will be tested using a mouse model of diet-
induced obesity. In vivo lung physiology measurements and novel quantitative imaging techniques will be used
to explore the effects of hyperinsulinemia on airway physiology and nerve growth, morphology, and specific
neuropeptide expression in obese animals. The specific aims of this proposal are to: (1) Test whether
increased insulin potentiates reflex bronchoconstriction in obese mice; and (2) Test whether increased insulin
mediates changes in airway sensory nerve structure and neuropeptide expression in obese mice. Achieving
these goals will provide insight into how insulin may promote airway nerve-mediated bronchoconstriction and
sensory nerve changes in obesity-related asthma and explain why obese individuals are more likely to have
asthma. Investigating the mechanisms behind severeand poorly controlled obesity-related asthma will greatly
impactthis currently unmet clinical need.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475889
- **Project number:** 5F30HL154526-03
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Gina Nicole Bash
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $50,313
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-04 → 2024-08-03

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475889

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475889, The Role of Insulin in Obesity-Related Asthma (5F30HL154526-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475889. Licensed CC0.

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