No abstract

No abstract

Oxatomide inhibits the release of histamine from rat peritoneal mast cells in vitro induced by C 48/80, antigen, anti-IgE and ionophore A 23 187, without effect on non-specific release by n-decylamine. Its effect is concentration- and pH-dependent and decreases with increasing extracellular Ca2+-concentrations. Prolonged incubation does not enhance the inhibition, which is lost after one single wash-out. Aminophylline and isoproterenol are not potentiated by oxatomide. The present study points to an effect of oxatomide on a Ca2+-dependent process at the level of cell membrane common to antigen, C 48/80 and ionophore A 23 187.

The course of vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage in rats was studied using vertebrobasilar angiography. Wistar and Sprague Dawley rats were compared with respect to vasospastic response after bleeding. A more pronounced vasospasm was found in Sprague Dawley rats. In order to avoid a possible toxic effect on the contrast medium, only one angiogram per animal was initially performed. However, a comparison with the results obtained in a separate series of non-challenged animals demonstrated a difficulty due to high variability in basilar artery size in the latter group. Therefore, vasospasm can be more readily shown if multiple angiograms are used in the same animal so that the vasospasm can be expressed as a percentage of the initial diameter of the basilar artery. It was found that multiple angiograms are well tolerated when non-ionic contrast media are used.

The ultrastructure of isolated rat peritoneal mast cells was evaluated after in vitro degranulation and treatment with oxatomide, a new anti-allergic compound. In a first series of experiments, mast cells of rats infected with Trichinella spiralis larvae were incubated with Trichinella larvae somatic antigen to produce histamine release. The release was visualized in the electron microscope by exocytosis of the peripheral amine-containing granules, which resulted from fusion between several perigranular membranes and fusion of these membranes with the plasma membrane. A more drastic degranulation was provoked in a second series by incubation of unsensitized mast cells in the presence of the amine liberator compound 48/80. This treatment led to a complete extrusion of the granules in most of the cells, while in a smaller number of cells, only large vacuoles containing remnants of several granules were seen. The plasma membrane of these cells however was intact and there were no signs of exocytosis. The effect of oxatomide against mast cell degranulation was dose-dependent and comparable for the two types of histamine release. After incubation with high doses (10(-4) M, 5.10(-5) M) granule liberation was rarely observed in antigen-challenged and compound 48/80-challenged cells. Protection was apparently situated at the level of the plasma membrane which seemed to be unable to fuse with the perigranular membranes while fusion of perigranular membranes of individual granules was still possible. None of the tested concentrations of oxatomide induced spontaneous degranulation. High doses, however, led in a number of cells to some ultrastructural alterations such as partial disappearance of plasmalemmal folds, slight cytoplasmic oedema and the appearance of intranuclear microtubules. The latter were also seen in oxatomide-treated challenged mast cells.