ROCK insufficiency attenuates ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in mice

Ozone causes airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and pulmonary inflammation. Rho kinase (ROCK) is a key regulator of smooth muscle cell contraction and inflammatory cell migration. To determine the contribution of the two ROCK isoforms ROCK1 and ROCK2 to ozone-induced AHR, we exposed wild-type, ROCK1^+/-, and ROCK2^+/- mice to air or ozone (2 ppm for 3 h) and evaluated mice 24 h later. ROCK1 or ROCK2 haploinsufficiency did not affect airway responsiveness in air-exposed mice but significantly reduced ozone-induced AHR, with a greater reduction in ROCK2^+/- mice despite increased bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) inflammatory cells in ROCK2^+/- mice. Compared with wild-type mice, ozone-induced increases in BAL hyaluronan, a matrix protein implicated in ozone-induced AHR, were lower in ROCK1^+/- but not ROCK2^+/- mice. Ozone-induced increases in other inflammatory moieties reported to contribute to ozone-induced AHR (IL-17A, osteopontin, TNF_) were not different in wild-type vs. ROCK1^+/- or ROCK2^+/- mice. We also observed a dose-dependent reduction in ozone-induced AHR after treatment with the ROCK1/ ROCK2 inhibitor fasudil, even though fasudil was administered after induction of inflammation. Ozone increased pulmonary expression of ROCK2 but not ROCK1 or RhoA. A ROCK2 inhibitor, SR3677, reduced contractile forces in primary human airway smooth muscle cells, confirming a role for ROCK2 in airway smooth muscle contraction. Our results demonstrate that ozone-induced AHR requires ROCK. Whereas ROCK1-dependent changes in hyaluronan may contribute to ROCK1’s role in O₃-induced AHR, the role of ROCK2 is downstream of inflammation, likely at the level of airway smooth muscle contraction.