The effect of
traxanox on
SRS-A release was examined in vivo and compared with that of
disodium cromoglycate (DSCG). Intravenous
antigen challenge produced an intense anaphylactic bronchoconstriction that showed a peak time of 5 min in egg
albumin-sensitized guinea pigs pretreated with three agents,
mepyramine (2.5 mg/kg, i.v.),
indomethacin (1 mg/kg, i.v.) and
propranolol (0.05 mg/kg, i.v.). This bronchoconstriction was almost completely inhibited by additional pretreatment with an
SRS-A antagonist,
FPL 55712 (2.5 mg/kg, i.v.). A
lipoxygenase inhibitor,
BW755C (10 mg/kg, i.v.), also significantly inhibited this reaction. These results indicate that this anaphylactic bronchoconstriction is due to the release of endogenous
SRS-A. In this model,
traxanox (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.v.) showed a dose-related inhibition, but DSCG (10 mg/kg, i.v.) did not.
FPL 55712 (1 mg/kg, i.v.) administered at the peak time of the bronchoconstriction caused a relaxation.
Traxanox, on the other hand, failed to relax this reaction. In
IgE-mediated rat passive peritoneal
anaphylaxis (PPA),
traxanox (0.01--10 micrograms/rat, i.p.) inhibited the release of
SRS-A and
histamine dose-dependently. This inhibitory effect was about 10--20 times as potent as that of DSCG. In addition, both
traxanox (0.1 microgram/rat, i.p.) and DSCG (1 microgram/rat, i.p.) showed a synergistic effect in combination with
isoproterenol (0.01 microgram/rat, i.p.) and an additive effect with
theophylline (100 micrograms/rat, i.p.) in inhibiting the release of
SRS-A in rat PPA. These results suggest that
traxanox inhibits the release of
SRS-A in vivo, so that it may be clinically effective in treating patients with allergic
bronchial asthma.