Varenicline is a smoking cessation drug that blocks alveolar expansion in mice intratracheally administrated porcine pancreatic elastase

• Published in: Journal of pharmacological sciences Vol. 137; no. 2; pp. 224 - 229
• Main Authors: Koga, Mitsuhisa, Kanaoka, Yuki, Tashiro, Tetsushi, Hashidume, Nagisa, Kataoka, Yasufumi, Yamauchi, Atsushi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Elsevier B.V 01-06-2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aconitine - analogs & derivatives; Aconitine - pharmacology; Aconitine - therapeutic use; Administration, Inhalation; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor - antagonists & inhibitors; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Disease Models, Animal; Emphysema; Emphysema - chemically induced; Emphysema - drug therapy; Emphysema - pathology; Inflammatory cells; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nicotinic Agonists; Pancreatic Elastase - administration & dosage; Pancreatic Elastase - adverse effects; Pulmonary Alveoli - drug effects; Pulmonary Alveoli - pathology; Smoking Cessation; Varenicline; Varenicline - pharmacology; Varenicline - therapeutic use; Emphysema; Varenicline; Inflammatory cells
• ISSN: 1347-8613; 1347-8648
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2018.06.007

Smoking cessation is the most effective treatment in patients with emphysema and lung inflammation. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of varenicline, a smoking cessation drug, on emphysema in porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE)-inhaled mice. PPE-inhaled mice were treated with varenicline and an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist, methyllycaconitine (MLA) for 5 and 21 days. Varenicline markedly ameliorated alveolar expansion and inflammatory response in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in PPE-inhaled mice. These blocking effects were inhibited by MLA. Our findings demonstrate that varenicline likely has an anti-inflammatory property including reduced inflammatory cell recruitment in lung tissue to protect PPE-induced alveolar expansion via α7 nAChR.