Therapeutic effects of resveratrol in a mouse model of HDM-induced allergic asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs characterized by airway remolding. In this study, we examined whether resveratrol exerts protective effects on allergic asthma in a murine model. To investigate the effects of resveratrol on allergic airway inflammation in house dust mite (HDM)-induced mouse asthma and explore its mechanism, a chronic asthma mouse model was established by intranasally administering extracts of HDM (25 μg of protein in 10 μl of saline) for 5 days/week for up to 7 consecutive weeks. Resveratrol (50 mg/kg body weight), dexamethasone (1 mg/kg body weight) or a vehicle was administered orally 1 h before antigen challenges for up to 2 weeks. Compared with the HDM-induced mice, the level of TNF-α of the BALF in the resveratrol + HDM-treated mice had obviously decreased. Histological examination of the lung tissue revealed that the resveratrol treatments attenuated the fibrotic response and airway inflammation. In addition, resveratrol inhibited the expression of the Syk protein and degranulation in mast cells. The presented findings collectively suggest that resveratrol has a therapeutic effect on mouse allergic asthma, and its mechanism of action might be related to reducing the production of the Syk protein.