title: Cimetidine enhances antigen-specific IgE and Th2 cytokine production.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Treatment with anti-ulcer drugs has been shown to enhance IgE production against food antigens. However, little is known about the immunological effects of cimetidine, a histamine receptor type 2 (H2R) antagonist that is widely used as an anti-ulcer drug, in allergy. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of cimetidine in Th2 immune responses in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally with ovalbumin (OVA) with and without cimetidine. The levels of cytokines in supernatants of spleen cells cultured in the presence of OVA for 4 days and the levels of total and OVA-specific IgG(1), IgG(2a) and/or IgE in sera from these mice were determined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Administration of cimetidine to OVA-sensitized BALB/c mice promoted Th2 cytokine secretion by OVA-stimulated spleen cells in vitro and increased serum levels of OVA-specific IgE, IgG(1) and IgG(2a).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that cimetidine can enhance Th2 responses, suggesting that cimetidine may contribute to IgE production in allergies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arae
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oboki
authors.forename: Tatsukuni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakae
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Hirohisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D002927:Cimetidine