[Cetirizine inhibits activation of JAK2-STAT3 pathway and mast cell activation in lung tissue of asthmatic mice].

Objective To investigate the effects of cetirizine on Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway and mast cell activation in asthmatic mice by establishing a mouse model of asthma. Methods Sixty SPF BALB/c mice (10 in each group) were divided into control group, model group, low-dose cetirizine group (2 mg/kg), high-dose cetirizine group (5 mg/kg), cetirizine combined with AG490 group (5 mg/kg cetirizine combined with 0.4 mg/kg AG490). The asthma model was established by ovalbumin(OVA) sensitization and eliciting. Each treatment group was given certain amount of cetirizine by gavage every day, and the cetirizine combined with AG490 group was given intraperitoneal injection of 0.4 mg/kg AG490 once a week; the control group was given the same dose of normal saline until the end of modeling. The level of histamine in serum was detected by ELISA; the total number of cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was counted; the pathological changes of lung tissue were detected by HE staining; the expression of tryptase in lung tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining; the expressions of pathway related proteins were detected by Western blot analysis. Results Compared with those in the control group, the level of histamine in serum, the total number of BALF cell, the eosinophilia count, the degree of lung pathological injury, and the expressions of tryptase, p-JAK2/JAK2, and p-STAT3/STAT3 in the model group were significantly higher; compared with those in the model group, the level of histamine in serum, the total number of BALF cell, the eosinophilia count, the degree of lung pathological injury, and the expressions of tryptase, p-JAK2/JAK2, and p-STAT3/STAT3 in low-dose group, high-dose group, and cetirizine combined with AG490 group were significantly lower; compared with those in the high-dose group, the level of histamine in serum, the total number of BALF cell, the eosinophilia count, the degree of lung pathological injury, and the expressions of tryptase and p-STAT3/STAT3 in cetirizine combined with AG490 group were significantly lower, however, the expression of p-JAK2/JAK2 had no significant change. Conclusion Cetirizine inhibits JAK2-STAT3 pathway activation and mast cell activation in lung tissue of asthmatic mice.