The College of Pharmacy discussed the MSc thesis entitled “Comparative Study of Montelukast with Dexamethasone for the Possible Protective Effects against Endotoxic Shock Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in Bone Marrow and Spleen in Experimental Male Mice” by the student Rami Isam Kamal and the supervisor, Assistant Professor Dr. Ahmed Hamed Jwaid, at the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department.The study aimed to investigate Montelukast’s possible protective effect as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune modulator in comparison with dexamethasone against LPS-induced endotoxicity in bone marrow and spleen in experimental male mice. The study included Twenty-eight male albino mice were randomly divided into four groups, each with seven mice. Group I (control) received distilled water via oral gavage for seven consecutivedays and were euthanized on the eighth day; Group II (LPS-Induced) received a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and were euthanized on the second day; Group III (Montelukast-Treated) received montelukast via oral gavage for seven consecutive days, followed by a single IP injection of LPS; Group IV (Dexamethasone-Treated) received dexamethasone via oral gavage for seven consecutive days, followed by a single IP injection of LPS. All animals in groups III and IV were euthanized on the eighth day. The results showed that oral administration of montelukast prior to LPS exposure attenuated acute inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally, montelukast reduced biomarkers of bone resorption, downregulated neutrophil serine proteases (NSPs) gene expression, and decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells within the bone marrow. The study recommendedfurther investigation into the potential benefits of combination pretreatment strategies, such as the co-administration of montelukast with a macrolide antibiotic (e.g., clarithromycin) or a hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (e.g., atorvastatin).
