Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method
Published on: May 21, 2018
Beclomethasone dipropionate and formoterol fumarate synergistically interact in hyperresponsive medium bronchi and
Luigino Calzetta1, Maria Gabriella Matera2, Francesco Facciolo3
1Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Background:
Corticosteroids increase the expression of β2-adrenoceptors (β2-ARs) and protect them against down-regulation. Conversely, β2-AR agonists improve the anti-inflammatory action of corticosteroids. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain whether adding a long-acting β2-AR agonist (LABA) to an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) results in an additive effect, or there is true synergy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to pharmacologically characterize the interaction between the ICS beclomethasone diproprionate (BDP) and the LABA formoterol fumarate (FF) in a validated human ex vivo model of bronchial asthma.
Methods:
Human medium and small airways were stimulated by histamine and treated with different concentrations of BDP and FF, administered alone and in combination at concentration-ratio reproducing ex vivo that of the currently available fixed-dose combination (FDC; BDP/FF 100:6 combination-ratio). Experiments were performed in non-sensitized (NS) and passively sensitized (PS) airways. The pharmacological interaction was assessed by using Bliss Independence and Unified Theory equations.
Results:
BDP/FF synergistically increased the overall bronchorelaxation in NS and PS airways (+ 15.15% ± 4.02%; P < 0.05 vs. additive effect). At low-to-medium concentrations the synergistic interaction was greater in PS than in NS bronchioles (+ 16.68% ± 3.02% and + 7.27% ± 3.05%, respectively). In PS small airways a very strong synergistic interaction (Combination Index: 0.08; + 20.04% ± 2.18% vs. additive effect) was detected for the total concentrations of BDP/FF combination corresponding to 10.6 ng/ml.
Conclusion:
BDP/FF combination synergistically relaxed human bronchi; the extent of such an interaction was very strong at low-to-medium concentrations in PS small airways.
Trial Registration:
Not applicable.
More Related Videos
13:38Synthesis and Characterization of an Aspirin-fumarate Prodrug that Inhibits NFκB Activity and Breast Cancer Stem Cells
Published on: January 18, 2017
10:37Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice
Published on: January 16, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Suctioning the Nasopharyngeal Airway
Equipment Required
Suctioning the Oropharyngeal Airway
After assembling the equipment, the nurse should practice hand hygiene and don appropriate PPE according to infection control guidelines to avoid the...
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
Predator-Prey Interactions
Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...