1. ¹Graduate Institute of Immunology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
2. ²Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
3. ³Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
4. ⁴Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Correspondence: Dr B-L Chiang, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. E-mail: gicmbor@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw

Received 15 June 2007; Revised 1 November 2007; Accepted 15 December 2007; Published online 28 February 2008.

Abstract

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) has been suggested to be involved in the development of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). Both clinical and experimental investigations have shown strong correlation between the presence of eosinophils and AHR. In this study, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) as an approach to inhibiting the expression of IL-5 and reducing AHR. siRNAs targeting IL-5 were characterized in vitro, and siRNA-expressing lentiviruses were administered intratracheally to OVA-sensitized BALB/c mice. AHR, cytokine levels, serum levels of OVA-specific antibodies and infiltration of inflammatory cells were analyzed to investigate the effects of siRNA in an OVA-induced murine model of asthma. Lentivirus-delivered siRNA targeting IL-5 efficiently moderated the characteristics of asthma, including AHR, cellular infiltration of lung tissues, eotaxin levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and IL-5 mRNA levels in lungs in the mouse model of asthma. However, there was no effect on OVA-specific IgE level. These data demonstrate that siRNA delivered by the lentiviral system is an efficacious therapeutic strategy for asthma.