Published ahead of print on May 15, 2009 Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2009, doi:10.1165/rcmb.2008-0445OC
Submitted on November 19, 2008 Blockade of Airway Inflammation and Hyperresponsiveness by Inhibition of BLT2, a Low-affinity Leukotriene B4 ReceptorKyung-Jin Cho1,1 School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 2 Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 3 Division of Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Soonchuhyang University, Bucheon, Korea, Republic of, 4 Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, Republic of * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jhongkim{at}korea.ac.kr.
BLT2 is a low-affinity receptor for leukotriene B4, a potent lipid mediator of inflammation generated from arachidonic acid via the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway. Unlike BLT1, a high-affinity receptor for leukotriene B4, no clear physiological function has yet been identified for BLT2, especially with regard to the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate whether BLT2 plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. A murine model of allergic asthma was used to evaluate the role of BLT2 in ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. The levels of BLT2 mRNA and its ligand, leukotriene B4, in the lung airway were highly elevated after OVA challenge, and downregulation of BLT2 with antisense BLT2 oligonucleotides markedly attenuated airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Further analysis, aimed at identifying mediators downstream of BLT2, revealed that BLT2 activation led to elevation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent activation of NF- Key words: Allergy Asthma ROS NF-KB Inflammation
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