Inhaled budesonide inhibits OVA-induced airway narrowing, inflammation, and cys-LT synthesis in BN rats

Inhibitory effect of triamcinolone acetonide on synthesis of inflammatory mediators in the equine

Glucocorticoids (corticosteroids) are widely used anti-inflammatory agents in veterinary medical practice. These drugs are considered doping agents because they mask pain and thus, increase injury potential in equine athletes. They exhibit anti-inflammatory property by binding to glucocorticoids receptor (GR) to control the transcription of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes involved in the synthesis of bioactive eicosanoids. To evaluate the role of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) on concentrations of bioactive eicosanoids in equine plasma, TA (0.04 mg/kg) was intravenously administered to horses. Before (0 h) and after TA administration, equine whole blood (EWB) samples were collected and challenged with either methanol (vehicle), calcium ionophore A-23187 (CI) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate ex-vivo synthesis of eicosanoids. Plasma concentrations of eicosanoids were quantified using LC-MS/MRM. Results showed that thromboxane B2 (TXB2) was not affected by TA administration when EWB was stimulated with CI. However, after LPS treatment, TXB2, PGE2, PGF2α and 15-(s)-HETE decreased during 2-8 h post-TA administration but recovered to concentrations which were not significantly different from those of pre-TA administration (0 h), after 24 h. When EWB was treated with CI, LTB4 was suppressed post-TA administration compared to 0 h. When EWB collected after TA administration was stimulated with LPS, LTB4 was not significantly different from those of 0 h. Administration of a therapeutic dose of TA (0.04 mg/kg, iv) in the horse suppressed biosynthesis of bioactive eicosanoids indicating the anti-inflammatory role of TA in the horse.

KGF-2 targets alveolar epithelia and capillary endothelia to reduce high altitude pulmonary oedema in rats

High altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) severely affects non-acclimatized individuals and is characterized by alveolar flooding with protein- rich oedema as a consequence of blood-gas barrier disruption. Limited choice for prophylactic treatment warrants effective therapy against HAPE. Keratinocyte growth factor-2 (KGF-2) has shown efficiency in preventing alveolar epithelial cell DNA damages in vitro. In the current study, the effects of KGF-2 intratracheal instillation on mortality, lung liquid balance and lung histology were evaluated in our previously developed rat model of HAPE. We found that pre-treatment with KGF-2 (5 mg/kg) significantly decreased mortality, improved oxygenation and reduced lung wet-to-dry weight ratio by preventing alveolar-capillary barrier disruption demonstrated by histological examination and increasing alveolar fluid clearance up to 150%. In addition, KGF-2 significantly inhibited decrease of transendothelial permeability after exposure to hypoxia, accompanied by a 10-fold increase of Akt activity and inhibited apoptosis in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, demonstrating attenuated endothelial apoptosis might contribute to reduction of endothelial permeability. These results showed the efficacy of KGF-2 on inhibition of endothelial cell apoptosis, preservation of alveolar-capillary barrier integrity and promotion of pulmonary oedema absorption in HAPE. Thus, KGF-2 may represent a potential drug candidate for the prevention of HAPE.

Overview of animal models of asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by airways obstruction, airways hyperresponsiveness, excessive mucous secretion and cough. Guinea pig airways display many anatomical, physiological and pharmacological attributes of human airways, making this species ideal for modeling the asthmatic condition. This unit provides an overview of animal models of asthma, including definitions, descriptions of available animal models, and discussion of numerous critical issues to consider before designing a model to study this complex disease.

Small animals models for drug discovery

There has been an explosion of studies of animal models of asthma in the past 20 years. The elucidation of fundamental immunological mechanisms underlying the development of allergy and the complex cytokine and chemokines networks underlying the responses have been substantially unraveled. Translation of findings to human asthma have been slow and hindered by the varied phenotypes that human asthma represents. New areas for expansion of modeling include virally mediated airway inflammation, oxidant stress, and the interactions of stimuli triggering innate immune and adaptive immune responses.

Sensitivity of disease parameters to flexible budesonide/formoterol treatment in an allergic rat model

RATIONALE

Clinical studies show that flexible dosing (maintenance and symptom-driven dose adjustments) of budesonide and formoterol (BUD/FORM) improves control of asthma exacerbations as compared to fixed maintenance dosing protocols (maintenance therapy) even when the latter utilize higher BUD/FORM doses. This suggests that dose-response relationships for certain pathobiologic mechanisms in asthma shift over time. Here, we have conducted animal studies to address this issue.

OBJECTIVES

(1) To test in an animal asthma-like model whether it is possible to achieve the same or greater pharmacological control over bronchoconstriction and airway/lung inflammation, and with less total drug used, by flexible BUD/FORM dosing (upward adjustment of doses) in association with allergen challenges. (2) To determine whether the benefit requires adjustment of both drug components.

METHODS

Rats sensitized on days 0 and 7 were challenged intratracheally with ovalbumin on days 14 and 21. On days 13-21, rats were treated intratracheally with fixed maintenance or flexible BUD/FORM combinations. On day 22, rats were challenged with methacholine and lungs were harvested for analysis.

RESULTS

A flexible BUD/FORM dosing regimen (using 3.3 times less total drug than the fixed maintenance high dose regimen), delivered the same or greater reductions of excised lung gas volume (a measure of gas trapped in lung by bronchoconstriction) and lung weight (a measure of inflammatory oedema). When either BUD or FORM alone was increased on days of challenge, the benefit of the flexible dose upward adjustment was lost.

CONCLUSIONS

Flexible dosing of the BUD/FORM combination improves the pharmacological inhibition of allergen-induced bronchoconstriction and an inflammatory oedema in an allergic asthma-like rat model.

Dose-dependent inhibition of allergic inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness by budesonide in ovalbumin-sensitised Brown-Norway rats

Corticosteroids are known to inhibit bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and allergic inflammation but there is little information on its dose-dependence. We examined the effect of different doses of the glucocorticosteroid budesonide in an allergic model. Brown-Norway rats were sensitised to ovalbumin (OVA) and pretreated with an intra-gastric dose of budesonide (0.1, 1.0, or 10 mgkg(-1)). Exposure to OVA induced BHR, accumulation of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and in the airways submucosa. Budesonide dose-dependently inhibited BAL fluid influx of lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils, tissue eosinophils and lymphocytes and BHR. At 0.1 mgkg(-1), budesonide did not inhibit these parameters but at 1 mgkg(-1), BAL fluid eosinophils and T-cells, and submucosal T-cells were significantly reduced. At 10 mgkg(-1), budesonide suppressed BHR, BAL fluid inflammatory cells numbers and tissue eosinophilia. T-cell numbers were more related to BHR than eosinophil numbers. Budesonide inhibited both airway inflammation and BHR, but BAL fluid eosinophil cell counts may be dissociated from BHR.

Rat models of asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease

The rat has been extensively used to model asthma and somewhat less extensively to model chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The features of asthma that have been successfully modeled include allergen-induced airway constriction, eosinophilic inflammation and allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness. T-cell involvement has been directly demonstrated using adoptive transfer techniques. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are activated in response to allergen challenge in the sensitized rat and express Thelper2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13). Repeated allergen exposure causes airway remodeling. Dry gas hyperpnea challenge also evokes increases in lung resistance, allowing exercise-induced asthma to be modeled. COPD is modeled using elastase-induced parenchymal injury to mimic emphysema. Cigarette smoke-induced airspace enlargement occurs but requires months of cigarette exposure. Inflammation and fibrosis of peripheral airways is an important aspect of COPD that is less well modeled. Novel approaches to the treatment of COPD have been reported including treatments aimed at parenchymal regeneration.

Urinary inflammatory mediators and inhalation of hypertonic saline in children

BACKGROUND

The inflammatory mechanisms of hypertonic saline-induced bronchoconstriction are not well understood.

METHODS

Seventeen asthmatics with (n=11) and without bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) (n=6) and 18 randomly selected nonatopic nonasthmatic controls without BHR were evaluated by urine samples collected before and 1 h after hypertonic saline provocation test. Histamine, 11beta-PGF2alpha, and LTE4 were analysed by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and eosinophil protein X (EPX) by radioimmunoassay (RIA).

RESULTS

The levels of leukotriene E4 (LTE4) increased significantly after the challenge tests, both in the asthmatics (median: 354 pg/mg pre-challenge vs. 628 pg/mg post-challenge; P=0.05) and in the controls (median: 294 pg/mg pre-challenge vs. 460 pg/mg post-challenge; P <0.01). The levels of histamine also increased significantly in the latter (median: 299 micromol/mg pre-challenge vs. 569 micromol/mg post-challenge; P=0.03). However, the levels of 11beta-PGF2alpha and EPX did not change significantly after the challenge tests either in the asthmatics or in the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The inhalation of hypertonic saline increased urinary excretion of LTE4 both in the asthmatics and in the controls. The slight increase of leukotrienes was enough to induce airway obstruction in some of the asthmatics, because of the hyperresponsiveness in their airways.

Comparison of glucocorticoid and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist treatments in an experimental model of chronic airway inflammation in guinea-pigs

BACKGROUND

Leukotriene receptor antagonists have been demonstrated in several studies to possess bronchodilating and anti-inflammatory properties in asthma. However, there are few experimental studies performed to compare the effects of anti-leukotrienes and glucocorticoids, most used anti-inflammatory agents in asthma. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of treatment with dexamethasone or montelukast on eosinophil and mononuclear cell recruitment in an experimental model of allergen-induced chronic airway inflammation in guinea-pigs (GP).

METHODS

GP were submitted to increasing concentrations of aerosols of ovalbumin (OVA) twice a week for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks, animals were treated daily with dexamethasone, montelukast or saline solution. After this period, GP were anaesthetized, tracheostomized, mechanically ventilated and challenged with OVA aerosol.

RESULTS

Maximal changes of respiratory system resistance and elastance induced by OVA challenge were attenuated by dexamethasone (P<0.001), but not by montelukast treatment. Neither dexamethasone nor montelukast significantly influenced bronchial oedema formation. Dexamethasone but not montelukast induced a decrease in mononuclear cells in airways (P<0.001). Eosinophil infiltration in the bronchial wall was reduced by both dexamethasone and montelukast (P<0.005). Only dexamethasone treatment reduced the levels of exhaled nitric oxide (P<0.025).

CONCLUSION

Although leukotriene receptor antagonist treatment reduces eosinophil accumulation induced by multiple antigen challenges, glucocorticoid treatment attenuates both eosinophil and mononuclear cell infiltration.