Effect of arachidonic acid on anthralin inflammation.

1 The effect of topical arachidonic acid on anthralin inflammation was studied using sequential measurements of erythema (reflectance photometry) and oedema (calipers). 2 Topical arachidonic acid in concentrations which produced a small short-lived inflammatory response greatly augmented the initial phase and depressed the later phase of the inflammatory response to anthralin. 3 The initial augmentation was inhibited by concomitant administration of alpha-tocopherol. 4 It is suggested that free radical formation by anthralin has a direct action on membrane substrates such as arachidonic acid forming inflammatory products by a non-enzymic process.