Rapamycin Attenuates Pulmonary Allergic Vasculitis in Murine Model by Reducing TGF-β Production in the Lung

Background: Rapamycin has been reported to inhibit mesenchymal cell proliferation in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis. In the present study, we examined the effects of rapamycin on vascular remodeling including intraluminal myofibroblast proliferation in a murine model of allergic vasculitis with eosinophil infiltration. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and alum. The positive controls were exposed to aerosolized OVA daily for 7 days. The other group of mice was administered with rapamycin (1 mg/kg) intraperitoneally, in parallel with daily exposure to aerosolized OVA for 7 days. On the 3rd and 7th day, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and the lungs were excised for pathological analysis. Cell differentials were determined and concentrations of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TGF-beta in the BAL fluid (BALF) were measured. Semi-quantitative analysis of pathological changes in the pulmonary arteries was evaluated according to the severity of vasculitis. Results: The number of eosinophils in BALF was reduced significantly in the mice treated with rapamycin compared to the positive control. There was a significant decrease in the TGF-beta concentration of the BALF in the rapamycin-treated group compared to that of the positive control. The pathological scores were reduced significantly in the rapamycin-treated group compared to the positive control group. Intraluminal myofibroblasts in pulmonary arteries were reduced dramatically in the rapamycin-treated group compared to the positive control group. Conclusions: Rapamycin suppressed pulmonary vascular remodeling in a murine model of allergic vasculitis with eosinophil infiltration through reducing eosinophil infiltration and TGF-beta production in the lung and inhibition against biological action of TGF-beta.