Microvascular remodelling in chronic airway inflammation in mice.
1. Chronic inflammation is associated with blood vessel remodelling, including vessel proliferation and enlargement, and changes in vessel phenotype. We sought to characterize these changes in chronic airway inflammation and to determine whether corticosteroids that inhibit inflammation, such as dexamethasone, can also reduce microvascular remodelling. 2. Chronic airway inflammation was induced in C3H mice by infection with Mycoplasmapulmonis and the tracheal vessels treatment also decreased the immunoreactivity for P-selectin and the number of adherent leucocytes (595 +/- 203 vs 2,024 +/- 393 cells/ mm2 in treated and non-treated infected mice, respectively). 6. We conclude that microvascular enlargement and changes in vessel phenotype are features of some types of chronic inflammation and, furthermore, that dexamethasone reverses the microvascular enlargement, changes in vessel phenotype and leucocyte influx associated with chronic inflammatory airway disease.
Thurston
G
G
Department of Anatomy and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0452, USA. gavint@itsa.ucsf.edu
Maas
K
K
Labarbara
A
A
Mclean
J W
JW
McDonald
D M
DM
D000818:Animals; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000254:growth & development; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D019007:P-Selectin; D003907:Dexamethasone