Taurine supplementation alleviates asthma airway inflammation aggravated by HOCl exposure

Environmental pollutant exposure has been demonstrated to be associated with the onset and progression of asthma. Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), as an environmental exposure-relevant chlorine-based disinfectant, its role in asthmatic airway inflammation remains unclear. Through administering HOCl in drinking water during early life and the perinatal period , we discovered that early-life HOCl drinking water exposure not only aggravated airway inflammation in asthmatic mice but also that perinatal HOCl drinking water exposure could promote airway inflammation in the offspring of asthmatic mice. By gut microbiota sequencing, it was found that HOCl drinking water exposure could reduce the gut microbiota diversity in asthmatic mice, with the abundances of Lactobacillus , Faecalibaculum , Muribaculum , and [Eubacterium]_ventriosum_group being decreased, while increasing the abundances of Dubosiella and Parabacteroides . Further fecal metabolomics analysis revealed that HOCl drinking water exposure significantly enhanced the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. And there was a certain correlation between the abundances of the significantly altered bacterial genera and the levels of arachidonic acid metabolites. Finally, treatment with taurine, a HOCl neutralizer, showed that taurine could significantly alleviate the asthma airway inflammation aggravated by HOCl exposure. In summary, these results provide evidence for the exacerbation of asthma airway inflammation by HOCl exposure and confirm that taurine supplementation can serve as a potential therapeutic approach. HOCl exposure led to a worsening of airway inflammation and AHR. Prenatal HOCl exposure also led to an increase in airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in the offspring. Additionally, HOCl exposure had an impact on gut microbiota, resulting in a reduction of α diversity and a modification of the relative abundance of major taxa. Fecal metabolomics analysis indicated that HOCl exposure strengthened the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. Supplementation with taurine mitigated the airway inflammation and AHR that were aggravated by HOCl in asthma. • Exacerbation of Asthma by HOCl Exposure: Early - life and perinatal exposure to HOCl significantly exacerbates asthmatic airway inflammation in a murine model. • Impact on Gut Microbiota and Metabolites: HOCl exposure reduces gut microbiota diversity and enhances the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway in asthmatic mice. • Enhanced Arachidonic Acid Metabolism. • Therapeutic Potential of Taurine: Taurine supplementation effectively alleviates HOCl - aggravated asthmatic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness.