TY - JOUR AU - Joelsson, Jon Petur AU - Kricker, Jennifer A. AU - Arason, Ari J. AU - Sigurdsson, Snaevar AU - Valdimarsdottir, Bryndis AU - Gardarsson, Fridrik Runar AU - Page, Clive P. AU - Lehmann, Fredrik AU - Gudjonsson, Thorarinn AU - Ingthorsson, Saevar PY - 2020 DA - 2020/09/10 TI - Azithromycin ameliorates sulfur dioxide-induced airway epithelial damage and inflammatory responses JO - Respiratory Research SP - 233 VL - 21 IS - 1 AB - The airway epithelium (AE) forms the first line of defence against harmful particles and pathogens. Barrier failure of the airway epithelium contributes to exacerbations of a range of lung diseases that are commonly treated with Azithromycin (AZM). In addition to its anti-bacterial function, AZM has immunomodulatory effects which are proposed to contribute to its clinical effectiveness. In vitro studies have shown the AE barrier-enhancing effects of AZM. The aim of this study was to analyze whether AE damage caused by inhalation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in a murine model could be reduced by pre-treatment with AZM. SN - 1465-993X UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-020-01489-8 DO - 10.1186/s12931-020-01489-8 ID - Joelsson2020 ER -