Involvement of both protein kinase C and G proteins in superoxide production after IgE triggering in guinea pig eosinophils

ABSTRACTTo study the function and mechanism of eosinophils via the low affinity IgE receptor (FceRII), we examined the production of 02 metabolites by measuring the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL) response and the generation of cysteinyl leukotrienes. Eosinophils obtained from guinea pig peritoneal fluid sensitized with horse serum were purified. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was induced by stimulation with monoclonal anti-CD23 antibody, but not by mouse serum (controls). The mean (±SEM) value of LDCL was 20.6±1.3X103 c.p.m. This reaction consisted of an initial rapid phase and a propagation phase and ended within lOmin. Guinea pig eosinophils were histochemically stained with monoclonal anti-CD23 antibody. The major product generated in the LDCL response was superoxide, as determined by the measurement of superoxide by cytochrome c reduction and the complete inhibitory effect of superoxide dismutase on the LDCL response. Pretreatment with either pertussis toxin or cholera toxin inhibited the LDCL reaction. Depletion of bivalent ions by EDTA inhibited this response and the protein kinase C inhibitor D-sphingosin inhibited both 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol-induced and FcϵRII-mediated LDCL. These findings suggest that the NADPH-protein kinase C pathway may be involved in the FceRII-mediated LDCL response in guinea pig eosinophils

Population-based open-label clinical effectiveness assessment of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist pranlukast

Although the efficacy of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists in asthma therapy has been established through controlled clinical trials, there are no data concerning the effectiveness of their use in clinical practice, in which there is no rigid selection based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pranlukast in clinical practice. More than 2500 outpatients with mild to severe persistent asthma answered an input questionnaire, which consisted of 33 items assessing asthma symptoms in terms of six activities of daily living during the previous 2 weeks. Of these patients, 1138 received treatment with pranlukast and answered the same questionnaire 4–6 weeks after the start of treatment. In 923 of these 1138 patients, we examined the impact of concomitantly used inhaled steroids, β2-adrenergic agonists or sustained-release theophylline on the effectiveness of pranlukast treatment. One hundred and sixty-seven control patients completed the questionnaire twice but did not receive pranlukast treatment. We found a significant decrease in the number of asthma symptoms reported among both the 1138 patients treated with pranlukast and the 167 control patients. However, the magnitude of the decrease in symptoms was significantly (P < 0.001) greater with pranlukast treatment. Moreover, pranlukast was equally efficacious in the presence and absence of concomitantly used inhaled steroids, β2-adrenergic agonists or sustained-release theophylline. In conclusion, pranlukast was shown to have clinical effectiveness in the treatment of mild to severe persistent asthma symptoms