Cytokine release and adhesion molecule expression by stimulated human bronchial epithelial cells are downregulated by salmeterol.

Abstract β 2 -adrenoreceptor agonists are able to modulate various aspects of airway cell functions involved in the inflammatory and repair processes characterizing a variety of respiratory disorders. Human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs), which can act as immune effector cells and express β 2 -adrenoreceptors, were used to test the effects of different concentrations (0.1–100.0 nM) of salmeterol ( Salm ) on adhesion molecule expression and chemokine/cytokine release. HBECs, freshly isolated from resected bronchi at the time of surgery in ex-smokers with lung cancer, constitutively expressed over 3 times more ICAM-1 than VCAM-1 ( P P P P P P >0.05). Dose-response curves showed that Salm, at concentration >1.0 nM, was effective in inhibiting adhesion molecule expression and cytokine release by HBECs ( P Salm concentration of 10 nM the degree of inhibition observed was similar for ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression (37.2±9.3% and 32.9±9.6%, respectively; P >0.05), but higher for RANTES (88.4±4.4%), as compared to IL-8 (21.8±7.0%) or GM-CSF (30.1±6.6%; P Salm .