Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 1735-1502 17 1 2018 02 26 29 38 EN Jian-Qiang Huang Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China Xiao-Yang Chen Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China Fang Huang Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China Ji-Min Fan Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China Xiao-Wei Shi Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China Yan-Kai Ju Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China 2017 04 03 2017 09 04 Connexion 43 (Cx43), a gap junction protein, is expressed abundantly in the airway and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the effects of blocking Cx43 in asthma remain unclear. We investigated the therapeutic effects of two specific Cx43 inhibitors (Gap26 and Gap27) on the development of allergic airway disease in mice. Allergic asthma was induced in BALB/c mice by sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin (OVA). Different doses of Cx43 inhibitors were administered by aerosol inhalation 1 h after OVA challenge on days 21 and 23. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), lung pathology, mucus production, and inflammatory cells and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were examined. We found that Gap26 significantly inhibited OVA-induced AHR, inflammatory cell infiltration surrounding the bronchia, mucus production, inflammatory cells and cytokines in BALF, and OVA-specific IgE in the serum in a dose-dependent manner. Gap27 showed effects similar to those of Gap26 in inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production in BALF. We conclude Cx43 inhibitor inhalation alleviates asthma featuresin mice and may be a promising therapy for clinical asthma.   https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/view/1387 https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/download/1387/804