Occupational bronchial asthma: the role of autophagy in the development and progression of the disease

Occupational bronchial asthma is one of the most significant forms of respiratory diseases associated with work, and is characterized by significant socio-economic damage, diagnostic difficulties, and often severe, including steroid-resistant course. The study aims to summarize current information on the prevalence and leading causative factors of occupational asthma, as well as to systematize data on the role of autophagy in its pathogenesis and the therapeutic potential of autophagic pathway modulation. The authors conducted an analysis of publications on sensitizers with high and low molecular weight, with an emphasis on experimental models and cellular systems that currently form the main evidence base. The occupational allergens are capable of causing cell-specific disorders of autophagy in epithelial, smooth muscle, and dendritic cells, which is associated with oxidative stress, activation of inflammatory cascades, mucus hypersecretion, airway remodeling, and variants of programmed cell death. The most studied mechanisms are associated with HMW sensitizers, whereas data are limited for LMW agents, despite their association with more frequent severe exacerbations and lower sensitivity to standard anti-inflammatory therapy.The most studied mechanisms are related to HMW sensitizers, while data for LMW agents are limited, despite their association with more frequent severe exacerbations and lower sensitivity to standard anti-inflammatory therapy.Contributions:Soloshchenko A.E. — research concept and design, coordination of work, critical editing of the manuscript;Sokolova E.A. — search and analysis of literature, writing the text of the article;Maksutova M.V. — search and analysis of literary sources, writing the text of the article;Bislieva M.R. — literature search, data systematization, participation in writing the text;Voloseko A.P. — review and analytical processing of published data;Tsaplin E.M. — analysis of literary sources, participation in writing the text;Mikhaylichenko A.N. — search and analysis of literature, editing of the text of the article;Denisov A.V. — literature search, data analysis, writing the text of the article;Gosteva E.S. — analysis and interpretation of published data, editing of the manuscript;Khamayan V.B. — literature search, participation in writing the text of the article;Chizhikov M.R. — analysis and systematization of literary data, critical editing of the manuscript;All authors — approving the final version of the manuscript and for all aspects of the work.Funding. The study had no funding.Conflict of interest. The author declares no conflict of interest.Received: 03.02.2026 / Accepted: 12.02.2026 / Published: 27.03.2026