Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) secrete eotaxin and RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) in response to tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-a, which is inhibited by the nuclear factor (NF)-kB inhibitor dimethylfumarate (DMF). NF-kB/IkB (inhibitor of NF-kB) glutathionylation and changes in chromatin remodelling can inhibit NF-kB activity. In this study, we determined whether NF-kB/IkB glutathionylation and reduced histone H3 phosphorylation might underlie the inhibitory effect of DMF on NF-kB activity, and eotaxin and RANTES secretion.Primary human ASMCs were treated with DMF, diamide and/or glutathione (GSH) ethylester (OEt) prior to TNF-a stimulation and were subsequently analysed by ELISA, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation or immunoblotting.DMF reduced intracellular GSH and induced IkBa glutathionylation (IkBa-SSG), which inhibited IkBa degradation, NF-kB p65 nuclear entry and NF-kB/DNA binding. In addition, DMF inhibited the phosphorylation of histone H3, which was possibly mediated by the inhibitory effect of DMF on mitogen-and stress-activated protein kinase (MSK)-1. However, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase MAPK and MAPK phosphatase-1, upstream of MSK-1, were not inhibited by DMF. Importantly, DMF-mediated effects on NF-kB, histone H3, eotaxin and RANTES were reversed by addition of GSH-OEt.Our data suggest that DMF inhibits NF-kB-dependent eotaxin and RANTES secretion by reduction of GSH with subsequent induction of IkBa-SSG and inhibition of histone H3 phosphorylation. Our findings offer new potential drug targets to reduce airway inflammation in asthma.