Figure 6.

Effects of SB 203580 (1 – 100 mg kg⁻¹, p.o.) and dexamethasone (1 mg kg⁻¹, p.o.) on IL-1β levels (a) and neutrophil infiltration into the BAL fluid (b) and lung tissue (c) induced by aerosolized LPS (0.3 mg ml⁻¹ for 30 min). Wistar rats were orally dosed with vehicle (1% CMC, 2 ml kg⁻¹) or compound 30 min prior to aerosolized LPS and BAL fluid collected 4 h later. Neutrophils were determined by differential cell counting and IL-1β levels by ELISA. Results are expressed as mean±s.e.mean of eight animals. Statistical significance was assessed using Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn's post test (^**P<0.01, ^***P<0.001).