The Bronchoconstrictor Effect of Inhaled Prostaglandin D2 in Normal and Asthmatic Men

Abstract

Although prostaglandin D₂ is the most abundant prostanoid generated by human lung mast cells and causes bronchoconstriction in animals, its effects have not been studied in human beings. We have compared the effects of inhaled prostaglandin D₂ and prostaglandin F_2α on specific airway conductance in seven normal subjects and seven patients with mild allergic asthma. In dose–response studies in normal subjects, prostaglandin D₂ caused a significant (20±6 per cent) fall in specific airway conductance after the two highest concentrations (250 and 500 μg per milliliter), whereas prostaglandin F_2α had no effect. In the asthmatic subjects, both prostaglandin D₂ and prostaglandin F_2α caused a dose-related fall in specific airway conductance, starting at the lowest concentration of 4 μg per milliliter. Prostaglandin D₂ was 3.5 times more potent than prostaglandin F_2α. In a single-dose study of both drugs (250 μg per milliliter), a minor fall in specific airway conductance occurred with prostaglandin D₂ in the normal subjects, and a larger fall occurred with both drugs in the asthmatic subjects. Maximum effects were seen at three minutes: there was a 75±5 per cent fall with prostaglandin D₂ and a 33±8 per cent fall with prostaglandin F_2α. These results suggest that prostaglandin D₂ may be involved in the pathogenesis of bronchoconstriction in allergic asthma. (N Engl J Med 1984; 311:209–13.)