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1 McMaster University
2 AstraZeneca R&D Lund
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jordanam{at}mcmaster.ca.
Allergic asthma is characterized by airway inflammation in response to chronic allergen exposure, resulting in remodeling of the airway wall accompanied by dysfunctional airway physiology. However, a link between the immune-inflammatory response to allergen and changes to airway structure and physiology has not yet been fully elucidated. Moreover, the impact of inhaled corticosteroids and
2-agonists, the primary pharmacotherapy for asthma, on this process has not been completely evaluated. In this study, we employed a murine model of chronic exposure to a common environmental aeroallergen, house dust mite (HDM), to recapitulate the phenotype of clinical asthma. By examining the therapeutic effects of corticosteroid/
2-agonist combination therapy with budesonide/formoterol (BUD/FORM) in this model of airway disease, we endeavored to determine the impact of BUD/FORM on lung inflammation, structure and physiology. BUD/FORM was delivered either while allergen exposure was ongoing (concurrent therapy) or following the cessation of allergen exposure (post-exposure therapy). Our results show that airway inflammation was substantially reduced in BUD/FORM-treated mice in the concurrent therapy group, whereas in the post-exposure therapy group, where airway inflammation spontaneously resolved. In contrast, BUD/FORM was most effective in resolving several aspects of airway remodeling and bronchial hyperreactivity when delivered in conjunction with allergen withdrawal. This study demonstrates that while both BUD/FORM therapy and allergen avoidance independently reduce airway inflammation, only BUD/FORM therapy in conjunction with allergen avoidance can effectively reverse airway remodeling and bronchial hyperreactivity induced by chronic allergen exposure.
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