HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tamaoki, J. Articles by Nagai, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tamaoki, J. Articles by Nagai, A.

Macrolide Antibiotics Protect Against Immune Complex-Induced Lung Injury in Rats: Role of Nitric Oxide from Alveolar Macrophages¹

First Department of Medicine, Tokyo Women’s Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Macrolide antibiotics have unique immunomodulatory actions apart from antimicrobial properties. We studied the effects of macrolides on IgG immune complex (IgG-ICx)-induced lung injury in rats in vivo and in vitro. Intrapulmonary deposition of IgG-ICx produced a time-dependent increase in the concentration of NO in exhaled air. There were corresponding increases in the number of neutrophils accumulated into alveolar spaces, and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio. All of these changes were inhibited by pretreatment with erythromycin or josamycin, but not by amoxicillin or cephaclor. Incubation of cultured pulmonary alveolar macrophages caused up-regulation of NO production and expression of inducible NO synthase mRNA, an effect that was dose dependently inhibited by erythromycin, roxithromycin, or josamycin. The macrolides also reduced IgG-ICx-induced release of IL-1ß and TNF-, but did not alter the release of NO induced by exogenously added IL-1ß and TNF-. These results suggest that macrolide antibiotics specifically inhibit immune complex-induced lung injury presumably by inhibiting cytokine release and the resultant down-regulation of inducible NO synthase gene expression and NO production by rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H B Albert, C Manniche, J S Sorensen, and B W Deleuran Antibiotic treatment in patients with low-back pain associated with Modic changes Type 1 (bone oedema): a pilot study Br. J. Sports Med., December 1, 2008; 42(12): 969 - 973. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Shinkai, G. H. Foster, and B. K. Rubin Macrolide antibiotics modulate ERK phosphorylation and IL-8 and GM-CSF production by human bronchial epithelial cells Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, January 1, 2006; 290(1): L75 - L85. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Tamaoki The Effects of Macrolides on Inflammatory Cells Chest, February 1, 2004; 125 (2009): 41S - 51S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Schultz, P. Speelman, and T. van der Poll Erythromycin inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced tumour necrosis factor-{alpha} production in human whole blood J. Antimicrob. Chemother., August 1, 2001; 48(2): 275 - 278. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]