Fig. 3.

Dexamethasone reduces both alveolar protein permeability and cell infiltration. A Total protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were elevated in the infected mice, indicating alveolar-capillary barrier disruption. The combination of dexamethasone and ceftriaxone reduced the BAL protein concentration, whereas ceftriaxone alone did not. n = 7–8/group. B Total cell number in BAL fluid was elevated in infected mice. The combination of dexamethasone and ceftriaxone reduced the total cell number compared with untreated and ceftriaxone alone. n = 7–8/group. C Ceftriaxone substantially reduced the bacterial loads 36 h after infection. The addition of dexamethasone to appropriate antibiotic treatment with ceftriaxone did not increase bacterial loads. n = 7–8/group. All data are shown as means ± SD. Statistical differences between groups were calculated with one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test or Kruskal–Wallis followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. Abbreviations: CFU colony forming unit; BAL bronchoalveolar lavage; SP streptococcus pneumoniae; CTRX ceftriaxone; DXM dexamethasone