title: Dehydroepiandrosterone attenuates allergic airway inflammation in Dermatophagoides farinae-sensitized mice.
abstract: Dehydroepiandrosterone, an androgen abundant in circulation, has important immunomodulating effects. In this study the therapeutic effect of dehydroepiandrosterone on established allergic inflammation was examined in a dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae)-induced asthma model. Airway inflammation was provoked in D. farinae-sensitized BALB/c mice by repetitive intratracheal challenge (3 times, once a week). Three days after the first challenge, mice were fed a diet incorporated with 1.5% (w/w) dehydroepiandrosterone and were examined at days 3 and 6 after the last challenge. Airway challenge resulted in pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation accompanied by elevated blood eosinophil counts and elevated serum and bronchoalveolar lavage immunoglobulin E antibody levels in control diet-fed mice. However, the D. farinae-induced airway inflammation and blood eosinophilia was significantly reduced in dehydroepiandrosterone-fed mice, which was associated with a decrease in serum interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interferon-gamma levels. Total immunoglobulin E antibody concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were not affected by the dehydroepiandrosterone treatment. These results demonstrated that dehydroepiandrosterone could suppress preexisting allergic airway inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC. dckyu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chun-Keung
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yi-Hsia
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chih-Long
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides / Q000276:immunology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000188:drug therapy; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D039741:Antigens, Dermatophagoides; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D007371:Interferon-gamma