The anti-inflammatory effect of a small molecular weight antagonist
of P- and E-selectin-dependent cell adhesion was examined. The
glycolipid sulphatide was shown to block the adherence of
thrombin-activated rat platelets to HL-60 cells. This interaction is
known to be dependent on P-selectin. The rat dermal reverse passive
Arthus reaction was used to assess the effect of sulphatide on a
neutrophil dependent inflammatory response. Sulphatide
dosedependently blocked both the vascular permeability increase and
cell infiltration after intraperitoneal administration. These
results show that a small molecular weight compound which blocks P-
and E-selectin dependent adhesion in vitro can
effectively block the inflammation due to immune complex deposition.
A compound with this type of profile may have therapeutic potential
in the treatment of immune complex mediated diseases