Abstract
Various anti-allergic drugs are used for an allergic disease for the improvement and the reduction of allergic symptoms in clinical. To evaluate the effects of azelastine hydrochloride on the IgE-producing hybridoma cells, we asked whether or not azelastine hydrochloride decreases Cε mRNA level and the level of IgE FE-3 secreted in the cultured medium of IgE-producing hybridoma cells, FE-3. FE-3 cells were treated with various concentrations of azelastine hydrochloride for 24 h, and then re-cultured for 0.5 to 3 h in the growth medium after the cell number was adjusted to be equal among samples. Cε mRNA levels of FE-3 cells were determined using Northern blot analysis and IgE FE-3 levels in cultured medium were determined using IgE-capture ELISA. It was observed that the expression levels of Cε mRNA were significantly lower at 1 h after re-start of culture in the 10−5 M of azelastine hydrochloride-exposed group than in the control group. IgE FE-3 levels in cultured medium were significantly lower at 2 and 3 h after re-start of culture in the 10−5 M of azelastine hydrochloride-exposed group than in the control group. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay presented the possibility that the decrease of Cε mRNA level as shown here may be, at least in part, through the reduction of NF-κB DNA binding activity on the treatment with azelastine hydrochloride. These findings suggest that azelastine hydrochloride might exert its anti-allergic effect through the direct inhibition of IgE mRNA expression. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S249 (2004)]
