Murine Model of Allergic Airway Inflammation

OVA sensitization and challenge were performed as described previously^{23 (link)}. Mice were immunized via subcutaneous injection of 25 μg OVA (chicken egg albumin, grade V; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) absorbed to 1 mg of aluminum hydroxide (Sigma-Aldrich, Milwaukee, WI, USA) in 200 μL of PBS. Injections were administered on days 0, 7, 14, and 21, followed by intranasal OVA (20 μg/50 μL in PBS) challenge on days 33, 35, and 37. The OVA challenge was repeated twice weekly for 3 months after the mice had been anaesthetized with isoflurane (Vedco, St. Joseph, MO, USA). Age- and sex-matched control mice received PBS without OVA. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after the last intranasal OVA challenge, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissues were collected.