Th2-type cytokine inhibitor shows promise as asthma treatment

June 5, 2003

Drug & Device Development

Last Updated: 2003-05-29 13:15:17 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treatment with suplatast tosilate, a Th2-type

cytokine inhibitor, inhibits eosinophilic airway inflammation and improves

clinical symptoms in patients with mild asthma, according to a report by

Japanese researchers.

Dr. Yasuyuki Sano, from Doai Memorial Hospital in Tokyo, and colleagues

compared the respiratory outcomes of 15 asthmatics who were treated with

suplatast tosilate for 6 weeks with those of 13 similar patients who were

not.

The researchers' findings are published in the May issue of the Journal of

Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Patients in the treatment group experienced a significant improvement in the

provocation concentration (PC20) of histamine, while those in the control

group did not (p < 0.05), the authors report. Moreover, significant

improvements in peak expiratory flow and in symptom scores were only

observed in the treatment group.

Treatment with suplatast was also associated with a marked drop in the

average number of infiltrating eosinophils and EG2+ cells (p < 0.05 for

both), the researchers state. In addition, the average number of CD4+ and

CD25+ T cells fell with suplatast therapy (p < 0.05 for both). Once again,

no significant changes were noted in the control group.

" The results of our study indicate that suplatast tosilate holds promise as

a drug that can be used to treat cases of mild asthma by inhibiting Th2

cell-mediated inflammation, " Dr. Sano's team notes. " If administered with or

instead of a steroid inhalant, suplatast tosilate might effectively

attenuate asthma symptoms, and furthermore, it might prevent airway

remodeling in mild asthma. "

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;111:958-966.

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