Asthma is a chronic respiratory illness where the airway occasionally constricts, becomes inflamed, and is lined with excessive amounts of mucus. There are many lipid mediators involved in this inflammatory response. Hepoxilins are biologically active hydroxyepoxy eicosatrienoic acid metabolites of arachidonic acid, formed through the 12-lipoxygenase pathway. Our goal in this study was to identify if hepoxilins had a direct effect on smooth muscle contractions, to identify the source of hepoxilins in asthmatic-like mouse model, and to determine if blocking this pathway reduced inflammation associated with ovalbumin sensitization. We found that hepoxilins had no direct effect on smooth muscle contraction. We identified the bronchiolar epithelium as a major source of hepoxilins in OVA-challenged mice. We demonstrated that baicalein inhibits total lung resistance in the OVA-treated mice, but also found that the drug in-vivo is not specific for 12-lipoxygenase.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory illness where the airway occasionally constricts, becomes inflamed, and is lined with excessive amounts of mucus. There are many lipid mediators involved in this inflammatory response. Hepoxilins are biologically active hydroxyepoxy eicosatrienoic acid metabolites of arachidonic acid, formed through the 12-lipoxygenase pathway. Our goal in this study was to identify if hepoxilins had a direct effect on smooth muscle contractions, to identify the source of hepoxilins in asthmatic-like mouse model, and to determine if blocking this pathway reduced inflammation associated with ovalbumin sensitization. We found that hepoxilins had no direct effect on smooth muscle contraction. We identified the bronchiolar epithelium as a major source of hepoxilins in OVA-challenged mice. We demonstrated that baicalein inhibits total lung resistance in the OVA-treated mice, but also found that the drug in-vivo is not specific for 12-lipoxygenase.