Histamine H1-receptor antagonists inhibit nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1 activities via H1-receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Histamine H1-receptor antagonists are used to relieve the symptoms of an immediate allergic reaction. They have additional anti-inflammatory effects that could result from an inhibition of the transcription factors activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). The implication of the H1-receptor in these effects is controversial. Diphenhydramine is a first-generation H1-receptor antagonist while mizolastine and desloratadine are second-generation compounds. Mizolastine is also an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), an enzyme that has been involved in NF-kappaB activation. OBJECTIVE: We measured the ability of antihistamines to reverse histamine-induced smooth muscle contraction, an effect that involves the H1-receptor. We then investigated whether these drugs affect NF-kappaB and AP-1 activities in A549 lung epithelial cells, and whether this potential regulation involves H1-receptor and 5-LO. METHODS: Muscle tone was measured on tracheal segments of guinea-pigs. The H1-receptor was overexpressed by transfection and detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy. NF-kappaB and AP-1 activities were assessed by reporter gene assays in cells overexpressing or not overexpressing the H1-receptor. Production of regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed andsecreted (RANTES), a chemokine whose expression is induced through NF-kappaB, was measured using an immunoassay. RESULTS: H1-receptor antagonists reversed histamine-induced contraction in a dose-dependent manner. Induction of AP-1 and NF-kappaB activities by histamine and the down-regulatory effect of antihistamines required overexpression of the H1-receptor. In contrast, when tumour necrosis factor-alpha and a phorbol ester were used to stimulate NF-kappaB and AP-1 activities, respectively, repression of these activities did not involve the H1-receptor. Indeed, repression was triggered only by a subset of H1-receptor antagonists and was not stronger after overexpression of the H1-receptor. Mizolastine and desloratadine dose-dependently decreased tumour necrosis factor-alpha-induced production of RANTES. Diphenhydramine, H2- and H3-receptor antagonists as well as selective inhibitors of 5-LO were ineffective in this assay. CONCLUSION: Repression of NF-kappaB and AP-1 activities by H1-receptor antagonists involves H1-receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms but not 5-LO.

Effects of L-arginine and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, sildenafil, on inflammation and airway responsiveness of sensitized BP2 mice.

Nitric oxide (NO) levels are elevated in the exhaled breath of asthmatic patients and NO is considered as a biomarker of airway inflammation. However, the functions of NO in the airways are not completely understood. L-arginine, as the substrate of NO synthases, is the precursor of NO which stimulates guanylate cyclase and leads to the formation of cyclic GMP (cGMP). Sildenafil, a phosphodiestérase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, prevents the degradation of cGMP. In this study the effects of L-arginine and sildenafil treatment, alone or in combination, were evaluated in ovalbumin-sensitized BP2 mice. These effects concerning the airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine (MCh) were evaluated by whole-body plethysmography (WBP), the inflammatory response evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analyses and lung tissue biopsies (eosinophilic inflammation associated with lung remodelling), and NO metabolite measurements (by Griess reaction) in BALF. Ovalbumin sensitization induced: (a) an inflammatory reaction with eosinophil and neutrophil influx in BALF and lung; and (b) an increased bronchial responsiveness to MCh. L-arginine treatment [50 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.), for 7 days] increased the relative amount of eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF, had a tendency to increase the airway responsiveness to inhaled MCh and increased the NO metabolite level in BAL. Sildenafil treatment (20 mg/kg i.p. for 7 days) did not affect the airway responsiveness to MCh and had a lower effect compared with L-arginine on inflammatory reactions. The combination of the two treatments resulted in a dramatic enhancement of the airway responsiveness to inhaled MCh. The relative amount of eosinophils was increased and lung histology showed obvious worsened tissular lesions such as epithelial shedding and hypertrophy, hyperplasia of smooth muscle cells, and fibrosis. These findings are consistent with the notion that NO production plays a role in the development of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness of sensitized mice and highlighted the potential risk of the L-arginine dietary complement or PDE5 treatment in asthmatic patients.

Vasopressin V2 (SR121463A) and V1a (SR49059) receptor antagonists both inhibit desmopressin vasorelaxing activity.

Although [Arg(8)]vasopressin is a potent vasoconstrictor, it possesses vasorelaxant properties manifested either after vasopressin V1 receptor blockade or directly in some vascular beds. The nature of the receptor involved in the vasorelaxant effect of [deamino-Cys(1) D-Arg(8)]vasopressin (desmopressin), a vasopressin V2 receptor agonist, was studied on rat precontracted aortic rings by the use of highly selective new non-peptide vasopressin receptor antagonists. The present study demonstrates for the first time that desmopressin relaxant effect is antagonized by the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist SR121463A, but also by the vasopressin V1A receptor antagonist SR49059, suggesting that desmopressin-induced relaxation is mediated by a receptor subtype sharing both V1A and V2 pharmacological profiles.

Contrasting effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the in vitro relaxant properties of adenosine in rat pancreatic vascular bed and thoracic aorta.

In the present work, we have studied adenosine-induced vasodilation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and compared it to that observed in normal age-matched or weight-matched animals. Experiments were performed on a vascular bed, the isolated perfused pancreas, and a large vessel, the thoracic aorta, provided from the same animal. Vasodilator activity was assessed, for isolated pancreas, as the increase in flow induced by the infusion of 2 microM adenosine for 30 min, or for noradrenaline-contracted aortae, as the relaxant response to adenosine (1 microM-1 mM). In both preparations the results obtained with selective adenosine receptors ligands (CPA, CGS 21680 and NECA) agreed with the presence of adenosine receptor of A2a subtype. In normal animals, adenosine vasodilator activity on both preparations diminished with advancing age in the rat, while diabetes was associated with a decreased or increased responsiveness to adenosine in pancreatic vascular bed or aorta, respectively. Further, the involvement of nitric oxide (NO), in relaxant responses, was evaluated by the use of the NO synthase inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). In all groups of animals, the flow rate of isolated pancreas dropped in the presence of 200 microM L-NAME, but was restored by adenosine to the level observed without L-NAME. L-NAME (10 microM) significantly reduced the dilator response to adenosine in aortic rings from diabetic animals, but not in those from normal rats. These results showed that adenosine vasorelaxant activity is significantly but differentially altered by diabetes according to the origin of the vascular preparation, and suggest that NO is involved in the vasorelaxant activity of adenosine in large vessels of diabetic animals. The potential pathophysiological role of adenosine in the vascular complications of diabetes remains to be determined.

Vanadium levels in French and Californian wines: influence on vanadium dietary intake.

An accurate and reproducible method for direct determination of vanadium (V) in wine using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) is described. This method gave results insignificantly different from those obtained using dry mineralization of wine samples, with a detection limit of 42 pg. A total of 68 wine samples from different regions of France and California were analysed. Vanadium levels ranged from 7.0 to 90.0 micrograms/l in red and from 6.6 to 43.9 micrograms/l in white wines. The method was also adapted to the determination of vanadium levels in 12 grape samples from different varieties after acid mineralization. Vanadium content varied from 2 to 17 micrograms/kg for white and from 5 to 11 micrograms/kg for red varieties. Our data indicate that wine storage conditions may increase vanadium content. The contribution of wine consumption to daily vanadium dietary intake of the French population was estimated to be 11 micrograms/day per individual.

New imidazo(1,2-a)pyrazine derivatives with bronchodilatory and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitory activities.

New imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives have been synthesized either by direct cyclization from pyrazines or by electrophilic substitutions. The presence of electron donating groups on position 8 greatly enhances the reactivity of the heterocycle towards such reactions on position 3 of the heterocycle. The activities of these derivatives in trachealis muscle relaxation and in inhibiting cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzyme types III and IV have been assessed. All compounds demonstrated significantly higher relaxant potency than theophylline. All the derivatives were moderately potent in inhibiting the type IV isoenzyme of PDE but only those with a cyano group on position 2 were potent in inhibiting the type III isoenzyme.