Pulmonary inflammation is a common pathological feature of a variety of diseases, of
which successful therapy with currently available anti-inflammatory drugs is limited by
resistance and adverse side effects. Using the ovalbumin-induced mouse allergic asthma model,
the present study shows that treatments with pH modifiers, particularly simple acids such as
acetate or hydrochloric acid, effectively depleted inflammatory cells in the lungs and blood as
well as hyperplastic lung tissue cells while preserving the structure of the blood vessels and lung
parenchyma. The acid treatments also suppressed mucus hypersecretion. These results
demonstrated pH modifiers as a new class of broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory agents with antiproliferation
and mucus suppression activities.