TLR-3 triggered aggravation of experimental asthma depends on IL-17

Recent clinical studies revealed that recurrent viral and bacterial infections are major risk factors for the aggravation of allergic bronchial asthma. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms for this aggravation remain incompletely understood. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) producing cells might be involved in this process. The present study aims at investigating wether T-helper (Th) 17 cells are implicated in TLR triggered aggravation of experimental allergic asthma. Therefore, mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) and subsequently challenged with OVA aerosol to provoke a local allergic inflammation of the airwa…