Influence of the anti-allergic agent, azelastine, on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion from cultured mouse mast cells.

The influence of azelastine (AZ) on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretllon from cultured mast cells was examined. Mast cells were induced by the long-term culture of mouse (BALB/c, Male) spleen cells with interleukin-3. Mast cells collected on day 20 in culture were stimulated with 2.5 micrograms/ml of concanavalin A (Con A) in the presence of various doses of AZ for 24 hours. AZ scarcely affected TNF-alpha secretion from mast cells when low doses (0.5 and 1.0 microgram/ml) of AZ were added to cultures. However, higher doses (5.0 and 10.0 micrograms/ml) of AZ inhibited the secretion (but not production) of TNF-alpha from mast cells. These results may suggest that some of the therapeutic effects of AZ depend on its ability to reduce the secretion of TNF-alpha from mast cells.