Azelastine suppresses the release of arachidonic acid metabolites from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

We investigated the effects of azelastine, an anti-allergic agent, on the release of arachidonic acid metabolites from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed that HUVEC treated with 10(-5) M azelastine released smaller amounts of arachidonic acid metabolites into the medium than control HUVEC. Azelastine significantly reduced the release of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) by HUVEC. These results suggest that azelastine may inhibit contraction of bronchial smooth muscle cells and reduce bronchial inflammation by suppressing the release of arachidonic acid metabolites from vascular endothelial cells.