Jpn. J. Pharmacol. 82 (4), 287-294 (2000)

Effect of YM158, a Dual Lipid Mediator Antagonist, on Immediate and Late Asthmatic Responses, and on Airway Hyper-responsiveness in Guinea Pigs

Yasuhito Arakida, Keiko Ohga, Kiyomi Suwa, Yohei Okada, Hiroki Morio, Masaki Yokota,
Keiji Miyata, Toshimitsu Yamada and Kazuo Honda


Inflammation Research Pharmacology Laboratories, Institute for Drug Discovery Research, Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.,
21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan

Abstract: The effects of lipid mediator antagonists: the LTD₄-receptor antagonist pranlukast, the TXA₂-receptor antagonist seratrodast, and the novel dual LTD₄- and TXA₂-receptor antagonist YM158 (3-[(4-tert-butylthiazol-2-yl)methoxy]-5｢-[3-(4-chlorobenzenesulfonyl) propyl]-2｢-(1H-tetrazol-5-ylmethoxy)benzanilide monosodium salt monohydrate) were investigated in animals exhibiting immediate asthmatic response (IAR), late asthmatic response (LAR) and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). Antigen-induced LAR and AHR are inhibited by orally administered pranlukast (30, 100ﾊmg/kg) and seratrodast (3, 10ﾊmg/kg). YM158 (30ﾊmg/kg), orally administered before or after IAR induction, also inhibited both LAR and AHR. However, while the inhibitory effects of pranlukast and seratrodast on IAR were marginal, the effects of YM158 (3, 10, 30ﾊmg/kg) were dose-dependent, probably due to its multiple sites of action. Additionally, orally administered YM158 (30ﾊmg/kg) inhibited ozone-induced AHR in guinea pigs. Thus, an antagonist that inhibits several lipid mediators might exhibit greater efficacy in treating asthmatic responses than antagonists with a single site of action. Therefore, YM158 shows great promise as a drug that will be able to treat bronchial asthma and related disorders more potently than currently used single-pathway inhibitors.

Keywords: YM158, Leukotriene D₄, Thromboxane A₂, Receptor antagonist, Asthma