Yin K S, Hayashi K, Taki F, Watanabe T, Takagi K, Satake T
Department of Internal Medicine, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical College, People's Republic of China.
Arzneimittelforschung. 1991 May;41(5):525-7.
The new antiallergic drug azelastine (E-0659, Azeptin; CAS 58581-89-8) is used in the treatment of rhinitis and bronchial asthma. In the present study, the effect of azelastine on the regulation of the beta-adrenoceptors and the down regulation of beta-adrenoceptors by terbutaline, a beta-agonist, was investigated using guinea pig lungs. Guinea pigs were divided into four groups; (1) the control (saline-treated) group, (2) the terbutaline-treated group, (3) the azelastine-treated group, (4) terbutaline plus azelastine-treated group. Guinea pigs intramuscularly injected with each agent three times a day for successive 7 days. In the terbutaline-treated group, a 26% reduction in the number of beta-adrenoceptors compared with those of the control group was observed. In the azelastine-treated group, the number of beta-adrenoceptors increased by 24% compared with those of the control group. The number of the beta-adrenoceptors in the terbutaline plus azelastine-treated group was significantly increased compared with that of the terbutaline-treated group. These results suggest that azelastine may prevent the down regulation observed during beta-agonist administration by increasing the number of beta-adrenoceptors.
