Abstract: Objective To explore the effcet of Melatonin（MT） on connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) and remodeling in asthmatic mouse.Methods The mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group,asthmatic group,MT treated group,Dexamethasone treated group,10 mice in each group. The mice were sensitized and repeatedly challenged with ovalbumin(OVA) for 2,4 weeks.MT treated group were intraperitoneal injected MT,and Dexamethasone treated group were intraperitoneal injected DXM.The eosinophil around the airway was observed after the histological section of lung staining with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Masson staining was used to stain collagen fibers and PAS staining was used to stain airway mucus.The following parameters were measured by Leica image analysis software:the perimeter of bronchial basement membrane（Pbm）,total bronchial wall area（WAt）,inner wall area（WAi）,smooth muscle area（WAm）,collagen area（Wcol）and mucus area. The protein expression of CTGF was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Results WAt/ Pbm、WAi/ Pbm、WAm/ Pbm 、Wcol/ Pbm 、the mucus area and the expression of CTGF were significantly higher in asthmatic group than those in control group. MT treated group and dexamethasone treated group could significantly alleviate the above-mentioned indicators increased. Conclusions MT could inhibit the expression of CTGF,and partly inhibit airway remodeling,which has a comparative potency of dexamethasone.

Key words: Melatonin, Asthma, mouse, airway remodeling, CTGF