Inhibitory effect of specific inhibitor of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase on hyper secretion of airway mucus in asthma / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the inhibitory effects of SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) on hyper secretion of airway mucus in mice with asthma. Methods Forty BABL/C mice were randomly allocated into asthma group, SB203580 treatment group, dexamethasone treatment group and control group (sham-challenged group). Mice in SB203580 treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with SB203580 (10mg/kg), while those in dexamethasone treatment group were injected with dexamethasone (1mg/kg) before provocation. The number of goblet cells in small bronchi of all groups was determined after Alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff (AB-PAS) staining. The contents of MUC5AC in bronchoalveolar lavarge fluid (BALF) were evaluated with ELISA asssy. The levels of MUC5AC mRNA expression were determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and gray-scale analysis was done with image analysis method. Results Compared with the normal group, the number of airway goblet cells, the contents of MUC5AC in BALF and the level of lung MUC5AC mRNA expression in asthma group were raised significantly (P