[Anti-inflammatory agents and lymphocytary reactivity].

The acetylsalicylic acid, like other drugs with analogous properties, is an anti-inflammatory drug, whose mechanism of action is still unknown. Lymphocyte release, on stimulation, phlogogenic substances (lymphokines) which are responsible for some phlogistic processes, above all chronic. Acetylsalicylic acid inhibits some lymphocyte functions, therfore its mechanism of action may be possibly accounted for by this activity. This paper dealt with the effect observed that acetylsalicylic acid on mitogen-induced lymphocyte blastization. In vitro it was observed that acetylsalicylic acid inhibits blastization only when it is present in the incubation medium and that the inhibitor effect is dose dependent. In vivo, in the rat, it was observed that acetylsalicylic acid inhibits blastization only when administered some hours before lymphocyte withdrawal. The Authors believe that this effect may be accounted for by a metabolite of the drug itself.