Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in a Murine Asthma Model.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular communication and immune regulation; however, their proteomic composition in allergic asthma remains poorly understood. We performed tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and BALF-derived EVs in a murine house dust mite (HDM) model of allergic airway inflammation. HDM challenge elicited significant upregulation of Th2-associated proteins (CLCA1, FCGBP, CHIL3, CHIL4, and RETNLA), which is consistent with hallmark features of asthma. EPX and CKM were detected exclusively in BALF-derived EVs, demonstrating that EVs can selectively carry disease-relevant proteins. Our results underscore EV's cargo-mediated mechanisms in asthma pathogenesis.