Clinical effects of Montelukast sodium combined with atomized recombinant human interferon α1b in children with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical effect of Montelukast sodium combined with atomized recombinant human interferon α1b in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection pneumonia in children, and to analyze levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) signaling pathway.

METHODS One hundred and eighteen children with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities from Feb. 2021 to Feb. 2024 were selected as research subjects and randomly divided into the study group and the control group, with 59 cases in each group. The therapeutic effects, immune function, levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and TLR4 signaling pathway factors were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS The efficacy of children with RSV-infected pneumonia in the study group was superior to that of the control group (P=0.020). After 7 days of treatment, the levels of Th1, Th1/Th2, and CD₄⁺CD₂₅⁺Treg increased and Th2 decreased in the two groups of RSV-infected children with pneumonia, Th1, Th1/Th2, and CD₄⁺CD₂₅⁺Treg in the study group were (24.72±3.08)%, (5.46±0.45), and (11.25±1.29)%, respectively, all higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), while Th2 was (4.53±2.98)%, lower than that of the control group (all P < 0.001). After 7 days of treatment, the relative expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, TLR4, nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) mRNA was reduced in children with RSV-infected pneumonia in both groups, and the above indexes in the study group were (8.76±1.86) mg/L, (7.20±2.58) pg/ml, and (1.02±0.26), (1.12±0.29), (1.28±0.31), respectively, all lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.001). The difference in the incidence of adverse reactions in children with RSV-infected pneumonia in the two groups was not statistically significant (P=0.608).

CONCLUSION Montelukast sodium combined with atomized recombinant human interferon α1b can improve the clinical treatment effect, regulate the immune balance, inhibite the activation of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, and reduce the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in children with RSV infection pneumonia.