title: Desferal (desferrioxamine)--a novel activator of connective tissue-type mast cells.
abstract: The effect of Desferal (desferrioxamine), an iron-chelating agent with allergic side effects, was examined on human basophils and rodent mast cells (MCs) in vitro and in the human skin. Even at a high concentration (100 mg/ml), the drug neither induced histamine release (HR) from human basophils nor primed these cells to release higher amounts of histamine when they were activated with f-met-peptide or anti-IgE antibodies. In contrast, in all seven subjects studied, intradermal injection of Desferal (0.1 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml) elicited classic wheal-and-flare responses. Ingestion of 10 mg of cetirizine, an H1 antagonist, 3 hours before the intracutaneous administration of Desferal, significantly reduced the diameters of both wheal-and-flare reactions, indicating that the drug caused local HR. Desferal also induced HR from rat peritoneal MCs in vitro but had no effect on mouse bone marrow-derived MCs. These results suggest that Desferal has a direct, IgE-independent, stimulatory effect on connective tissue-type MCs. Thus, it may be used as a positive control in skin testing.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shalit
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tedeschi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miadonna
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi-Schaffer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001491:Basophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000187:drug effects*; D003239:Connective Tissue Cells; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006636:Histamine Release / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D003676:Deferoxamine