Resveratrol Aerosol Inhalation Attenuates Ovalbumin (OVA)-Induced Asthma in BALB/c Mouse Model

Abstract

Asthma is a common disease that affects millions of people but has no cure. Resveratrol (Res) has been confirmed to be effective against asthma; however, in vivo experiments had shown that Res administration by either oral or intraperitoneal injection had low absorption, leading to a bad efficacy. Aerosol therapy is widely used in asthma treatment, which can achieve effective concentrations locally. The efficacy of atomized Res for asthma has not been evaluated yet. Therefore, this article aimed to evaluate the effects of Res aerosol inhalation on asthma and explore the mechanisms involved. Ovalbumin (OVA) was used to construct an asthma mouse model. Different concentrations of Res solution were atomized with an ultrasonic nebulizer, and the asthmatic mice were treated. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate the degree of airway inflammation and airway remodeling in the mice. Serum from each group of mice was collected for IgE and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) detection. Real-time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of the target genes and proteins. Compared with the asthma group, the airway inflammation scores were significantly decreased in the low- or high-dose Res group. The airway remodeling parameters of the WAm/Pbm, WAmuc/Pbm, and WAi/Pbm ratios were significantly reduced. The expression of serum IgE, IL-5 mRNA, and p-STAT6 protein was significantly decreased, and serum T-AOC was increased in the Res group. Consistently, Res treatment significantly inhibited p-STAT6 expression induced by recombinant human IL-13 in 16HBE cells. Results suggest that Res nebulization therapy can improve airway inflammation, airway remodeling, airway allergy, and antioxidant capacity in asthmatic mice, which may be mediated by a STAT6-related pathway.