マクロライド系抗生物質, とくにエリスロマイシンの抗炎症作用にかんする実験的研究

抄録

A study was made on the anti-inflammatory action of erythromycin (EM).
1) EM exerted a slight inhibitory effect on increased vascular permeability induced by histamine in rats. Cephalexin (CEX) was used as the reference drug, and even when used of high doses, it exerted no inhibitory effect. EM was, therefore, considered to have an action to inhibit increased vascular permeability irrespective of its antimicrobial action.
2) EM exerted a moderate inhibitory effect on the paw edema by carrageenin and dextran, while CEX exerted no inhibitory effect. This antiedematous action was dose-dependant. On the other hand, this action was not manifested in the adrenalectomized rats. The anti-edematous action of EM was, therefore, considered an indirect action resulting from the increased adrenocortical activity.
3) EM was not inhibitory to ultraviolet erythema in guinea pigs.
4) EM was slightly inhibitory to the granuloma proliferation in rats when tested by the cotton pellet method.
5) EM exerted only a slight inhibitory effect on the primary swelling of treated foot in the adjuvant arthritis after tested for 3 weeks, whereas a potent inhibitory effect on the secondary inflammation. 6) EM exerted only a slight inhibitory effect on the heat denaturation of bovine serum albumin.
The antibiotic, however, proved to exert a fairly potent inhibitory effect on the heat-induced lysis in rat erythrocytes.
7) By RANDALL and SELITTO's method in rats, EM did not raise the pain threshold in normal foot at all, but slightly raised that in inflammatory foot.
These experimental finding disclosed that antibiotics of the macrolide group-especially erythromycin-exert a slight anti-inflammatory action and the mode of action of EM is similar rather to that of steroidal anti-inflammatory agents than non-steroidal one. It may be considered that the anti-inflammatory action of EM is exerted through the indirect effect due to adrenal stimulation, apart from their antimicrobial activity.