Nolan C M, McAllister C K, Walters E, Beaty H N
J Lab Clin Med. 1978 Jun;91(6):979-88.
This study was undertaken to determine whether adrenal corticosteroids suppress meningeal inflammation in experimental pneumococcal meningitis in rabbits and, if so, whether the mechanism of suppression involves inhibition of chemotactic activity in CSF or modification of granulocyte responses to inflammation mediators. It was found that methyl prednisolone, administered intramuscularly in doses of 15 or 30 mg/kg 24 hr and 48 hr after induction of meningitis, significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) the mass of granulocytes present in the meninges 72 hr after infection, the time of maximum meningeal inflammation. The larger dose of steroid produced approximately twice the suppressive effect of the smaller dose (p less than 0.05). The regime of methyl prednisolone that produced maximal suppression of meningeal inflammation (30 mg/kg/day) did not alter CSF chemotactic activity or chemotactic responsiveness and phagocytic activities of granulocytes from rabbits with meningitis. However, steroid therapy inhibited an increase in granulocyte adherence that was observed in untreated animals with meningitis (p less than 0.05). Thus methyl prednisolone in doses of 15 and 30 mg/kg given daily to rabbits with pneumococcal meningitis produced a suppressive effect on meningeal inflammation that was dose-dependent and was possibly mediated by inhibition of granulocyte adherence.
本研究旨在确定肾上腺皮质类固醇是否能抑制兔实验性肺炎球菌性脑膜炎的脑膜炎症，若能抑制，其抑制机制是否涉及抑制脑脊液中的趋化活性或改变粒细胞对炎症介质的反应。结果发现，在诱导脑膜炎后24小时和48小时，以15或30毫克/千克的剂量肌肉注射甲基强的松龙，可显著降低（p<0.01）感染后72小时（脑膜炎症最严重的时间）脑膜中粒细胞的数量。较大剂量的类固醇产生的抑制作用约为较小剂量的两倍（p<0.05）。产生最大脑膜炎症抑制作用的甲基强的松龙方案（30毫克/千克/天）并未改变脑膜炎兔脑脊液的趋化活性、趋化反应性以及粒细胞的吞噬活性。然而，类固醇治疗抑制了未治疗脑膜炎动物中观察到的粒细胞黏附增加（p<0.05）。因此，每天给肺炎球菌性脑膜炎兔注射15和30毫克/千克剂量的甲基强的松龙对脑膜炎症产生了剂量依赖性的抑制作用，其抑制作用可能是通过抑制粒细胞黏附介导的。
