Takeyama K, Tamaoki J, Chiyotani A, Tagaya E, Konno K
First Department of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
J Pharm Pharmacol. 1993 Aug;45(8):756-8. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1993.tb07104.x.
We have studied ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of rabbit cultured tracheal epithelium by a photoelectric method in-vitro. Addition of erythromycin and roxithromycin increased CBF in a dose-dependent fashion, whereas clarithromycin was without effect. The rank order potency of macrolide was roxithromycin > erythromycin >> clarithromycin. The roxithromycin-induced increase in CBF was not altered by propranolol, AA-861, or verapamil, but partially attenuated by indomethacin. Roxithromycin increased intracellular cAMP concentrations. These results suggest that certain macrolides can stimulate airway ciliary motility probably via prostaglandin- and cAMP-dependent regulatory pathways, which may affect mucociliary transport function in the respiratory tract.
