The synergistic interactions of allergic lung inflammation and intratracheal cationic protein.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a hallmark feature of asthma, and can be caused by various disparate mechanisms. Mouse models of AHR have been useful for studying these mechanisms in isolation, but such models still typically do not exhibit the same degree of AHR as seen in severe human asthma. We hypothesized that more severe AHR in mice could be achieved by imbuing them with more than one mechanism of AHR.

Objectives

We sought to determine if the airway wall thickening accompanying allergic inflammation and the exaggerated smooth muscle shortening induced by intratracheal cationic protein could act together to produce a severe form of AHR.

Methods

We used the forced oscillation technique to measure methacholine responsiveness in BALB/c mice that had b

SUBMITTER: Bates JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2218848 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature