α-melanocyte acts as an anti-inflammatory regulator in allergic bronchial asthma

The complex phenotype of allergic bronchial asthma arises from a chronic inflammatory response in the airways, which is regulated on different levels. On the one hand the balance between T helper (TH) 1 and TH2 type immune responses, which is essential for the initiation of allergic inflammation, and on the other hand the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators regulating the maintenance of the inflammatory response. One of these anti-inflammatory mediators could be the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), which has originally been described to stimulate melanin production in the skin. This stu…