OT - Anti-Rejection Drug Curbs Aspirin-Induced Asthma

December 31, 2004

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Anti-Rejection Drug Curbs Aspirin-Induced Asthma

Fri Dec 31, 2004 07:47 PM GMT

By

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The immune-suppressant drug tacrolimus, usually

used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, can also help people who

suffer from aspirin-triggered asthma, Japanese researchers report.

The finding " suggests a new therapeutic strategy for aspirin-induced

asthma, " investigator Dr. Hiroto Matsuse told Reuters Health.

Matsuse, at Nagasaki University School of Medicine, and colleagues note in

the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that it's unclear just why

some people suffer an asthma attack if they take aspirin.

However, it has been suggested that aspirin causes a " massive release " of

substances called leukotrienes into the airways, triggering constriction.

Tacrolimus inhibits the production of leukotrienes, the team says, and has

other properties that might be helpful for these patients.

To investigate, the researchers studied 12 aspirin-sensitive asthmatics who

had undergone testing with aspirin to determine the individual dose that

provoked an attack.

The participants were then given tacrolimus or an inactive placebo 2 hours

before being challenged again with their threshold dose of aspirin.

Following the placebo, aspirin challenge significantly decreased lung

function and increased leukotriene levels in urine. On the other hand,

tacrolimus significantly inhibited airway constriction and reduced the

increase in leukotriene levels.

The researchers stress that the subjects had relatively mild aspirin-induced

asthma and that tacrolimus " may not inhibit aspirin attacks in patients with

a more severe form. "

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