Published in:
01-07-2009 | Short Communication
Lovastatin inhibits antigen-induced airway eosinophilia without affecting the production of inflammatory mediators in mice
Published in: Inflammation Research | Issue 7/2009
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Objective and design
Statins have been proposed as a novel treatment of respiratory diseases. To determine the beneficial effects of statins on allergic bronchial asthma, the effect of systemic treatment with lovastatin on antigen-induced airway inflammation was investigated.
Subjects
Male BALB/c mice were used.
Treatments
Mice were sensitized and repeatedly challenged with ovalbumin (OA) antigen to induce asthmatic response. Animals were also treated with lovastatin (4 mg/kg/day, i.p.) once a day prior to and during the antigen inhalation period.
Methods
Inflammatory cell counts and levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, eotaxin, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids were measured.
Results
Significant increases in eosinophils and levels of the T helper 2 cytokines, chemokines and LTB4 in BAL fluids in association with the increments of total and OA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in sera were observed in the repeatedly antigen-challenged mice. The airway eosinophilia was ameliorated by lovastatin, whereas it had no significant effect on the levels of these inflammatory mediators or IgE.
Conclusion
Lovastatin may be beneficial for the treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases in the airways, such as allergic bronchial asthma.