Fluosol-DA has been known to induce a transient anaphylactic reaction in dogs. There were no consistent findings concerning this adverse reaction in human. The present study was undertaken to clarify the mechanism and to prevent the anaphylactic reaction by drugs. The anaphylactic reaction was featured by the systemic hypotension, pulmonary hypertension, leucopenia, and accompanied with a fall in serum complement titer and increases in histamine and thromboxane B
2 levels in plasma. Prednisolone inhibited completely the activation of dog serum complement in vitro and pretreatment with this drug prevented remarkably the adverse reactions in vivo. Pretreatment with histamine H
1 and H
2-receptor antagonists in combination prevented remakably the systemic hypotension alone, but and pretreatment with indomethacin did the rise in thromboxane B
2 level in plasma and pulmonary hypertension. Moreover, new PFC, FMIQ emulsion having no activation effect of serum complement induced no anaphylactic reactions in dogs. These results suggested that the activation of serum complement may be the initial step for the anaphylactic reaction, and that histamine may be the main adverse substance responsible for the systemic vascular reaction and thromboxane A
2 responsible for the pulmonary response.
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