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Both bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and dehydroepiandrosterone induce Th1 immune responses and suppress Th2 allergic reactions. To investigate whether a combined administration of BCG and dehydroepiandrosterone treat asthma more effectively, BALB/c mice (n = 8 per group) with established airway hyper-responsiveness were treated with BCG and/or dehydroepiandrosterone. Combined treatment with 2 × 105 colony-forming units (CFUs) of BCG and 0.01% dehydroepiandrosterone was the most effective one at suppressing eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. In addition, this combination also was better at suppressing hypersensitivity as compared to BCG alone (13.7 ± 4.0- versus 3.6 ± 0.5-fold increase in the sensitivity index; P < .05) in male mice. Similarly, the effect of the combined treatment was superior to that of individual treatments at decreasing the serum ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) level. However, the addition of 0.1% dehydroepiandrosterone to BCG significantly decreased the efficacy of BCG on hypersensitivity in female mice. In male mice, the suppressive effect of the treatments on hypersensitivity tended to be lower, and the baseline interferon-γ /interleukin-5 (IFN-γ /IL-5) ratio in the splenocyte supernatant was significantly higher as compared to female mice. In conclusion, treatment with an appropriate combination of BCG and dehydroepiandrosterone had additive therapeutic effects on mice with established asthma. Androgens in males and dehydroepiandrosterone overdose might reduce the efficacy of BCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both BCG and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) induce Th1 immune responses and suppress Th2 allergic reactions. To investigate whether the combination of BCG and DHEA has an additive effect on asthma prevention, BALB/c mice (n = 10 per group) were given an intraperitoneal injection of BCG at the beginning of sensitization, and fed mice chow containing DHEA throughout the study. In female mice, the combined administration of 2 × 104 CFUs BCG and 0.01% DHEA effectively suppressed the ovalbumin-induced increase in airway sensitivity to methacholine (56.5 vs. 8.2 mg/mL, p < 0.01), while BCG (13.9 mg/mL) or DHEA (17.9 mg/mL) alone did not. However, the addition of high dose (0.1%) DHEA decreased the efficacy of high dose (2 × 105 CFUs) BCG in suppressing the airway responsiveness and eosinophilia. In male mice, the treatments with BCG and/or DHEA were less effective, and the interferon-γ / interleukin-4 ratio in the splenocyte supernatant was significantly higher and the ovalbumin-specific IgE concentration in the serum was significantly lower as compared to female mice. In conclusion, the combination of low doses of BCG and DHEA had an additive effect in suppressing the development of airway hypersensitivity. Androgens in males and DHEA overdose might reduce the efficacy of BCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]