title: Rosuvastatin attenuates mucus secretion in a murine model of chronic asthma by inhibiting the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by reversible bronchial constriction, pulmonary inflammation and airway remodeling. Current standard therapies for asthma provide symptomatic control, but fail to target the underlying disease pathology. Furthermore, no therapeutic agent is effective in preventing airway remodeling. A substantial amount of evidence suggests that statins have anti-inflammatory properties and immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we investigated the effect of rosuvastatin on airway inflammation and its inhibitory mechanism in mucus hypersecretion in a murine model of chronic asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin to induce asthma. The recruitment of inflammatory cells into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the lung tissues were measured by Diff-Quik staining and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. ELISA was used for measuring the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α in BALF. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was used for mucus secretion. Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAAR) β2 expression was measured by means of immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rosuvastatin reduced the number of total inflammatory cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils recruited into BALF, the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α in BALF, along with the histological mucus index (HMI) and GABAAR β2 expression. Changes occurred in a dose-dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on its ability to reduce the inflammatory response and mucus hypersecretion by regulating GABAAR activity in a murine model of chronic asthma, rosuvastatin may be a useful therapeutic agent for treatment of asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dao-xin
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ni-wen
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000032:analysis; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium