Inhibition of IgE-mediated histamine release from human peripheral leukocytes by selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

Several phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors with the capacity to inhibit the PDE IV isoenzyme produce dose-dependent inhibition of IgE-mediated histamine release (HR) from human peripheral leukocytes in vitro. Inhibition reached a maximum after 20 min of preincubation (IC30: 6-30 microM, IC50: 30-80 microM). Motapizone--a potent inhibitor of the isoenzyme PDE III--was much less effective, thus giving indirect evidence that PDE IV plays a predominant role in the control of cAMP cleavage in human basophils. The inhibiting effect of PDE-III/IV-selective compounds on IgE-mediated HR did not exceed the action of PDE-IV-selective inhibitors. The inhibition of anti-IgE-induced HR by zardaverine (a PDE-III/IV-inhibiting compound) was synergistically enhanced in the combined presence of forskolin or the recently synthesized histamine H2-agonist FRA 19).