Figure 2.
An antibiotic cocktail abolishes male/female differences in O3-induced AHR. Mice were treated with a cocktail of antibiotics (ampicillin 1 g/L, metronidazole 1 g/L, neomycin 1 g/L, vancomycin 0.5 g/L) via their drinking water for 2 weeks. Sucralose (8 g/L) was added to the water for taste. Control mice were treated with drinking water containing sucralose only. The mice were then exposed to room air or to ozone. (A) Airway responsiveness of mice treated with water. (B) Airway responsiveness of mice treated with antibiotics. (C) BAL neutrophils. Results are mean ± SE of data from n = 7–11 mice per group. *P < 0.05 compared with air. #P < 0.05 compared with female mice with same exposure; %P < 0.05 compared with water-treated mice of the same sex and with the same exposure. RL = resistance of the lung.