title: Short-term roxithromycin treatment attenuates airway inflammation via MAPK/NF-κB activation in a mouse model of allergic asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether roxithromycin reduces ovalbumin-specific allergic asthma symptoms in mice, and we further investigated the inhibitory mechanism of roxithromycin in ovalbumin-specific allergic asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were divided into five groups (n = 10 for each): control group, roxithromycin-treated groups (5, 20 and 40 mg/kg) and ovalbumin-challenged group. We measured the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) or the lung tissues by Kwik-Diff and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, goblet cell hyperplasia by alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff (AB-PAS) staining, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) by whole-body plethysmograph chamber, cytokine and immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels by ELISA, and the activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in the lung tissues by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with roxithromycin resulted in fewer inflammatory cells in the BALF and peribronchial areas, and decreased AHR, goblet cell hyperplasia, IgE levels and inflammatory cytokines, as well as MAP kinases and NF-κB activation, which are increased in lung tissues of mice with ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that oral administration of roxithromycin suppresses ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and AHR by regulating the inflammatory cytokines via MAP kinases/NF-κB pathway in inflammatory cells. Based on these results, we suggest that roxithromycin may be used as a therapeutic agent for allergy-induced asthma.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 5333 Xi'an Road, Changchun 130062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ci
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008170:Lung Compliance; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000276:immunology*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D015575:Roxithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D015575:Roxithromycin; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases