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BackgroundThe Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel K(Ca)3.1 is expressed in several structural and inflammatory airway cell types and is proposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of asthma. The aim of the current study was to determine whether inhibition of K(Ca)3.1 modifies experimental asthma in sheep.Methodology and principal findingsAtopic sheep were administered either 30 mg/kg Senicapoc (ICA-17073), a selective inhibitor of the K(Ca)3.1-channel, or vehicle alone (0.5% methylcellulose) twice daily (orally). Both groups received fortnightly aerosol challenges with house dust mite allergen for fourteen weeks. A separate sheep group received no allergen challenges or drug treatment. In the vehicle-control group, twelve weeks of allergen challenges resulted in a 60±19% increase in resting airway resistance, and this was completely attenuated by treatment with Senicapoc (0.25±12%; n = 10, P = 0.0147). The vehicle-control group had a peak-early phase increase in lung resistance of 82±21%, and this was reduced by 58% with Senicapoc treatment (24±14%; n = 10, P = 0.0288). Senicapoc-treated sheep also demonstrated reduced airway hyperresponsiveness, requiring a significantly higher dose of carbachol to increase resistance by 100% compared to allergen-challenged vehicle-control sheep (20±5 vs. 52±18 breath-units of carbachol; n = 10, P = 0.0340). Senicapoc also significantly reduced eosinophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage taken 48 hours post-allergen challenge, and reduced vascular remodelling.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that K(Ca)3.1-activity contributes to allergen-induced airway responses, inflammation and vascular remodelling in a sheep model of asthma, and that inhibition of K(Ca)3.1 may be an effective strategy for blocking allergen-induced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in humans.

Background: The Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa3.1 is expressed in several structural and inflammatory airway cell types and is proposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of asthma. The aim of the current study was to determine whether inhibition of KCa3.1 modifies experimental asthma in sheep. Methodology and Principal Findings: Atopic sheep were administered either 30 mg/kg Senicapoc (ICA-17073), a selective inhibitor of the KCa3.1-channel, or vehicle alone (0.5% methylcellulose) twice daily (orally). Both groups received fortnightly aerosol challenges with house dust mite allergen for fourteen weeks. A separate sheep group received no allergen challenges or drug treatment. In the vehicle-control group, twelve weeks of allergen challenges resulted in a 60±19% increase in resting airway resistance, and this was completely attenuated by treatment with Senicapoc (0.25±12%; n = 10, P = 0.0147). The vehicle-control group had a peak-early phase increase in lung resistance of 82±21%, and this was reduced by 58% with Senicapoc treatment (24±14%; n = 10, P = 0.0288). Senicapoc-treated sheep also demonstrated reduced airway hyperresponsiveness, requiring a significantly higher dose of carbachol to increase resistance by 100% compared to allergen-challenged vehicle-control sheep (20±5 vs. 52±18 breath-units of carbachol; n = 10, P = 0.0340). Senicapoc also significantly reduced eosinophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage taken 48 hours post-allergen challenge, and reduced vascular remodelling. Conclusions: These findings suggest that KCa3.1-activity contributes to allergen-induced airway responses, inflammation and vascular remodelling in a sheep model of asthma, and that inhibition of KCa3.1 may be an effective strategy for blocking allergen-induced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing evidence that the small airways contribute significantly to the pathophysiology of asthma. However, due to the difficulty in accessing distal lung regions in clinical settings, functional changes in the peripheral airways are often overlooked in studies of asthmatic patients. The aim of the current study was to characterize progressive changes in small airway function in sheep repeatedly challenged with house dust mite (HDM) allergen. Methodology/Principal Findings: Four spatially separate lung segments were utilized for HDM challenges. The right apical, right medial, right caudal and left caudal lung segments received 0, 8, 16 and 24 weekly challenges with HDM respectively. A wedged-bronchoscope technique was used to assess changes in peripheral resistance (Rp) at rest, and in response to specific and non-specific stimuli throughout the trial. Allergen induced inflammatory cell infiltration into bronchoalveolar lavage and increases in Rp in response to HDM and methacholine were localized to treated lung segments, with no changes observed in adjacent lung segments. The acute response to HDM was variable between sheep, and was significantly correlated to airway responsiveness to methacholine (rs = 0.095, P<0.01). There was no correlation between resting Rp and the number of weeks of HDM exposure. Nor was there a correlation between the magnitude of early-phase airway response and the number of HDM-challenges. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that airway responses to allergic and non-allergic stimuli are localized to specific treated areas of the lung. Furthermore, while there was a decline in peripheral airway function with HDM exposure, this decrease was not correlated with the length of allergen challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by airway inflammation, remodeling and hyperresponsiveness. The ability to replicate these asthma traits in the well-established ovalbumin induced chronic model of allergic airways disease is an important tool for asthma research and preclinical drug development. Here, spectra derived from focal plane array and Synchrotron-Fourier transform infrared maps were used to analyse biochemical changes in lung tissue from an ovalbumin-induced murine chronic allergic airways disease model. Analysis of the chemical maps resulted in distinct clusters and significant changes in the lipid and proteins regions of the spectra between the saline control and diseased lung tissue samples. Overall, the utilisation of conventional histological methodologies and Synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy has the ability to expand the characterisation of murine models of asthma.

Sheep were sensitized by repeated infection with Haemonchus contortus L3, followed by a 12 week rest period, and an abomasal cannula was surgically implanted in all sheep. Seven of the sensitized sheep were subsequently challenged with 50 000 H. contortus L3 while 4 control sheep were challenged with saline. Biopsy samples were taken using a fibreoptic endoscope on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 28 after challenge and leukocyte subpopulations quantified by (immuno)histology. Differential blood cell counts were performed on the same days. At the end of the trial, sheep showed significantly reduced worm burdens compared to unsensitized control sheep, confirming their resistance status. Both blood and tissue eosinophils, as well as tissue gammadelta TCR+ cells were rapidly elevated by day 1 post L3 challenge (pc), peaking at day 3 pc. There was a slight increase in tissue CD4 T cells at day 2 pc, peaking at day 3 pc while no significant changes in CD8 T cells were observed. B cells (CD45R+) increased later into challenged tissues with a peak at 5 days pc. All tissue lymphocyte subpopulations as well as tissue and blood eosinophils were reduced by day 7 pc before increasing again at day 28 pc, suggesting separate responses to larval and adult antigens. In contrast, globule leukocytes and mucosal mast cells only showed one peak at day 5 pc and 28 pc, respectively. Unexpectedly, globule leukocytes correlated significantly with tissue eosinophils but not mucosal mast cells. The results are consistent with an early eosinophil-mediated killing of L3, possibly recruited by IL-5 produced by gammadelta T cells. In contrast to post-mortem studies, abomasal cannulation allowed sequential analysis of both early and late time points in the same animal, providing a more complete picture of cellular interactions at both peripheral and local sites, and their correlation with the different stages of parasite development., (Copyright (c) INRA, EDP Sciences, 2010.)

Expansion of the airway wall vascular compartment has recently been established as a feature of asthma involving both enlargement of existing vascular structures and the formation of new vessels (angiogenesis). Both processes are likely to occur together and are fundamental for supporting the many aspects of tissue inflammation and remodeling manifest in the clinical symptoms of airway disease. Multiple growth factors are implicated in airway angiogenesis, with vascular endothelial growth factor among the most important. Other asthma-associated stimuli, including ADAM33, environmental tobacco smoke, and rhinovirus infection, are emerging as proangiogenic regulators. Increasing attention is also focused on the complex interplay of airway wall inflammatory and structural cells, including airway smooth muscle in driving expansion of the bronchial submucosal vascular plexus in asthma. Here, we provide a brief update on recent developments in this emerging area and highlight the potential role played by airway smooth muscle.