PHARMACOLOGY OF ANTIHISTAMINE COMPOUNDS

Abstract

"Those drugs which are capable of diminishing or preventing several of the pharmacologic effects of histarnine and which do so by a mechanism other than the production of pharmacologic responses diametrically opposed to those produced by histamine may be termed histamine antagonists or antihistamine drugs.[long dash]True antihistamine drugs are able to antagonize histamine without eliciting pharmacologic responses, or if responses are elicited they do not appear to be of the type or degree which suggest an important causal relationship.[long dash]In the present discussion, emphasis [is placed] on those drugs which are potent histamine antagonists and which, from the evidence available, appear to act as blocking agents with some degree of specificity as regards antihistamine action." The substances described are Fourneau compounds (929 F and 1571 F), Antergan (2339 R.P.) and 2325 R.P., [alpha]-aminopyridine derivatives, benzhydryl alkamine ethers, thiodiphenylamines, and other compds. The phases of their behavior reviewed are: phar-macodynamics; acute and chronic toxicity; antagonism of histamine in bronchioles, intestinal muscle, uterine muscle, arterial blood pressure, capillary permeability and cutaneous reactions, glandular secretion; effect of antihistamine drugs in anaphylaxis and allergy (in particular, reactions to tryp-sin); specificity of antihistamine drugs and relation to autonomic functions; mode of action.