As the major eosinophil chemoattractant, Eotaxin 1 plays a critical role in allergic inflammation and asthma. In the lung Eotaxin 1 promotes the influx of eosi nophils where activation and release of key mediators of an inflammatory response occurs. The role of the fibroblast phase 3 in mediating eosinophil recruitment has long been established, where it has been shown that fibroblasts derived from numerous sources secrete a sig nificant amount of Eotaxin 1 in response to several pro inflammatory stimuli. Consistent with this, we have demonstrated in this report that IL 1B, IL 13 and TNF all have potent effects on Eotaxin 1 secretion in fibroblasts. These factors are key inducers of Eotaxin 1 release and eosinophil recruitment in addition to con tributing to fibrotic changes seen in airway disease.

It would be of interest to evaluate an NRF2 Eotaxin 1 relationship in fibroblasts from asthmatics to determine if Eotaxin 1 expression would be equally regulated by NRF2 activation is a disease state. The mechanism by which Eotaxin 1 is modulated by NRF2 is not known. A detailed promoter study failed to identify a bonafide ARE upstream of the human Eotaxin 1 gene, suggesting that this inhibition may be an indirect consequence of NRF2 activation. One way in which NRF2 has been shown to mediate its anti inflammatory properties is through the inhibition of NF ��B. NRF2 and NF ��B have been shown to work to gether to modulate inflammatory gene expression and it has been suggested that NRF2 activation can lead to NF ��B inhibition.

In addition it has been shown that the NF ��B pathway plays a critical role in Eotaxin 1 regulation in fibroblasts. While it is not clear if this is the case in our study, it is unlikely since we have demonstrated using pharmacological inhibition that all of the chemokines and cytokines induced by IL 1B and TNF are NF ��B dependent, yet only Eotaxin 1 is inhib ited by NRF2 activation. Another key transcription factor that can mediate Eotaxin 1 expression is STAT6. A STAT6 binding site is present on the Eotaxin 1 promoter along with an NF ��B binding site and it is thought that Eotaxin 1 may be regulated by the concerted activity of NF ��B and STAT6. STAT6 is of course a key mediator of Eotaxin 1 ex pression induced by IL 4, but studies in fibroblasts have shown that STAT6 also is required for TNF induced Eotaxin 1 expression.

Thus, it remains feasible that in someway, NRF2 activation inhibits STAT6 Cilengitide activity, thus leading to the inhibition of Eotaxin 1 expression. There is no published data directly linking NRF2 activation to STAT6 activity, however, in one study using the licorice root triterpenoid Glycyrrhizin, it has been demonstrated that inhibition of Eotaxin 1 with this compound is associated with the inhibition of STAT6 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. This data suggests that perhaps NRF2 does indeed regulate Eotaxin 1 expression through the regulation of STAT6 activity.