Figure 1

Flow chart of EB model establishment using C57BL/6 mice, lung resistance and collagen deposition measurements. (a) Flow chart of EB model establishment using C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 mice were sensitized and then boosted with ovalbumin (OVA) plus aluminium adjuvant (alum) intraperitoneally and then intranasally challenged with OVA three times. 12 h after the last challenge, the capsaicine-induced cough frequency was recorded. 36 h after the last challenge, lung resistance or lung enhanced pause (Penh) was evaluated, and finally BALF and lung tissues were subsequently harvested for further analyses. (b) Penh in all groups changes in response to increased doses of inhaled methacholine (MCh) (3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/mL). (c,d) Different doses of OVA challenge affected collagen deposition in lung tissue of mice, as revealed by Sirius red staining. With NS challenge and different doses of OVA challenge, semi-quantitative image analysis of the collagen deposition area (c) and representative views (d) are shown [25 µg OVA dose, n = 5, other groups, n ≥ 9. *P ≤ 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; ns, no significance; ^##P < 0.01. *compared with NS, # compared with 50 µg]. The scale is indicated on the panel by the length of the box around the size in µm.