Figure 1.

Assessment of HDM-induced allergic asthma in STING-deficient mice. (A) Strategy for establishing the HDM-induced allergic asthma model. Wild-type (WT) or Sting^−/− mice were intratracheally administered HDM at a concentration of 30 µg/mouse seven times every other day. The mice were sacrificed 48 h after the last dose. Saline served as a control. (B) Total cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of WT and Sting^−/− mice. Saline-treated WT mice: N = 4, Sting^−/− mice: N = 3, HDM-sensitized WT mice: N = 5, Sting^−/− mice: N = 5. (C) The number of neutrophils and eosinophils in BALF of HDM-sensitized WT and Sting^−/− mice. HDM-sensitized WT mice: N = 5, Sting^−/− mice: N = 5. (D) Total (left) and HDM-specific (right) IgE levels in the serum from the indicated mice. Saline-treated WT mice: N = 3, Sting^−/− mice: N = 3, HDM-sensitized WT mice: N = 12, and Sting^−/− mice: N = 12 for total IgE levels. Saline-treated WT mice: N = 6, Sting^−/− mice: N = 6, HDM-sensitized WT mice: N = 14, and Sting^−/− mice: N = 14 for HDM-specific IgE levels. (E) Serum IgE capture assay in the indicated mice. Saline-treated WT mice: N = 3, Sting^−/− mice: N = 3, HDM-sensitized WT mice: N = 9, and Sting^−/− mice: N = 9. All data are presented as the mean ± SD and (A–C) data are representative of four or five independent experiments. (D) Total IgE levels are representative of three independent experiments. HDM-specific IgE levels are representative of six independent experiments. (E) the data are representative of six independent experiments. i.t. intratracheally, n.s not significant, Neu neutrophils, Eo eosinophils.