Comparison of the effect of phenylbutazone, desonide and cyclophosphamide on four types of experimental pleurisy.

The action of phenylbutazone, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug, desonide, a corticosteroid, and cyclophosphamide, an immunosuppressant agent, was studied on four types of experimental pleurisy: carrageenan-pleurisy in rats; passive reversed Arthus pleurisy in rats; Bordetella pertussis-delayed hypersensitivity pleurisy in rats and PPD (purified protein derivative)--delayed hypersensitivity pleurisy in guinea-pigs. For each compound, the action on the exudate and on the number of the different categories of leucocytes in the inflammation focus was evaluated. In carrageenan-inflammation, phenylbutazone reduced the oedema and the number of neutrophils and macrophages. Its favourable effect on exudative events in Arthus--and B. pertussis--reactions was not accompanied by high modifications at the cellular level. With the exception of PPD-pleurisy, desonide reduced the three other reactions. Its action related to the exudate and the various leucocyte types, except in the Arthus reaction in which only the number of neutrophils was decreased. The effect of cyclophosphamide was mainly in B. pertussis pleurisy in which it resulted in a decrease of oedema and a reduction in the number of mononuclears. For each compound, correlations between the effect on exudative and cellular phenomena are discussed.