title: Mast cell stabilizing properties of antihistamines.
abstract: Histamine is a key mediator of allergic inflammation, primarily through competitive antagonism of binding to H1 receptors. In this issue, Weller and Maurer report that the H1 antagonist desloratadine possesses mast cell-stabilizing properties when challenged in an IgE-dependent or -independent fashion. Thus, desloratadine provides benefits that are independent of H1 receptor binding and based on mast cell stabilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. fls@cc.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi-Schaffer
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eliashar
mesh_terms: D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D017336:Loratadine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating; D017336:Loratadine; C121345:desloratadine