NK cells in severe asthma: Failed resolution

Asthma Anti-inflammatory corticosteroids are a first line of defense against many types of asthma, but individuals with severe asthma frequently do not respond to this therapy. Duvall et al. report that this lack of response may be due in part to defects in natural killer (NK) cells, which are important mediators of inflammation resolution. NK cells from patients with severe asthma had impaired killing abilities, and corticosteroids inhibited the function of these cells further. The proresolving mediator LXA4 preserved NK cell effector mechanisms. Thus, corticosteroids may be counterproductive for severe asthma, and specifically activating NK cells may provide an alternate therapeutic target. Sci. Immunol. 2 , eaam5446 (2017).