Effect of allergic asthma on the development of atherosclerosis in mice

Objective: To investigate the effect of allergic asthma on the pathogenesis and development of atherosclerosis (AS) in apoE^-/- mice. Methods: Six-week apoE^-/- mice were used in the experiment. Allergic asthma model was established by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. After asthma was induced, the model was assessed by lung histopathology and eosinophils counts of BALF. Mice were challenged for 2, 4, 8 or 16 weeks. Frozen sections of aortic root were examined for AS lesion: the area of lesion by oil red staining, the collagen content by Sirius red staining and the macrophage infiltration by CD68 immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Results: The results showed that the allergic asthma mice models were successfully established. The area of aortic root plaque was significantly increased in asthmatic apoE^-/- mice compared with that in the control group. Meanwhile, macrophage infiltration was increased but the collagen content was decreased in plaque of asthmatic apoE^-/- mice compared with control group. Conclusion: Allergic asthma accelerates the formation and development of AS and decreases the stability of plaques in the apoE^-/- mice.