Influence of desloratadine on oxidative stress markers in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.
BACKGROUND
Recent findings suggest the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). It has been demonstrated that desloratadine has an antioxidant activity in vitro. We evaluated the effects of desloratadine on markers of oxidative stress in patients with CIU.


METHODS
Blood samples were obtained from 10 patients with CIU before and after 4 weeks of treatment with desloratadine. Blood samples from 10 healthy volunteers were used as controls. In platelets from both patients and controls, radical oxygen species (ROS) production was measured using spectrofluorimetric detection of dichloro-fluorescein oxidation, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was determined by means of the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system.


RESULTS
Radical oxygen species concentrations and SOD activity were significantly elevated in patients with CIU at baseline as compared with control subjects. Treatment with desloratadine caused a relevant reduction of ROS levels and SOD activity (P<0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that desloratadine exerts antioxidant effects also in vivo.
Cassano
Nicoletta
N
Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, I.D.I., I.R.C.C.S., Rome, Italy.
Raho
Gabriella
G
Filieri
Maura
M
D'Argento
Vito
V
Amoruso
Antonella
A
Filotico
Raffaele
R
Vena
Gino A
GA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D017336:Loratadine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood; D014581:Urticaria / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*
D015415:Biomarkers; D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D017336:Loratadine; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C121345:desloratadine