Taurine Treatment Reduces Oxidative Stress and Pulmonary Inflammation by Taurine a Murine Asthma Model Asthma Induced by House Dust and Diesel Particulate Matter

We investigated if the anti‐oxidant taurine can alleviate asthma‐like pulmonary inflammation induced by co‐exposure of DEP and house dust extract (HDE) in a mouse model of asthma. A house dust sample containing high concentrations of cockroach allergens and endotoxin was combined with DEP for this study. BALB/c mice were exposed to 3 pulmonary challenges via hypopharyngeal administration of the DEP and HDE on day 0, 14 and day 21. Two hours after the last challenge, airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was measured and then the mice sacrificed. Mice were treated with taurine or alanine in drinking water one week prior to the first HDE and DEP challenge and therapy continued for the entire 21 days of the experiment. The concentration of an oxidative stress marker isoprostane in BAL was significantly reduced in the taurine‐treated mice compared to alanine‐treated group. Taurine treatment significantly decreased levels of BAL cytokines including MIP‐2 and TNF‐α, and pulmonary recruitment of inflammatory cells including neutrophils and eosinophils. Further, AHR in taurine‐treated mice was significantly reduced. Taken together, treatment with the anti‐oxidant taurine significantly reduces oxidative stress in the lung, AHR, and pulmonary inflammation in a mouse model of asthma induced by cockroach allergens and DEP. This suggests that oxidative stress may be an important component of the asthmatic response. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant R01 ES013528