Rupatadine effectively prevents the histamine-induced up regulation of histamine H1R and bradykinin B2R receptor gene expression in the rat paw.

Background: Activation of histamine H1 receptor (H1R) is a well-known hallmark of allergic and inflammatory pathology. Both types of bradykinin receptors (B1R and B2R) are also known to contribute significantly to the latter and some sort of functional interaction between them and H1R has been alluded to in the past. Here we use an experimental model of rat paw oedema formation to examine the effect of exogenously added histamine on the gene expression of H1R and bradykinin receptors B1R and B2R, alone or in combination to rupatadine, a second generation antihistamine agent.

Evidence for the contribution of tumour necrosis factor in oedema formation induced by histamine in the hind paw of the rat.

There is mounting evidence that tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is involved in the early phase of inflammatory response, but its relation to histamine action is unclear. In this study we examined the effect of drugs interfering with TNF expression (thalidomide) and activity (infliximab) and compared it to that of a H(1)R histamine receptor antagonist (loratadine) in a model of histamine-induced rat hind-paw oedema formation. Systemic administration of all three drugs effectively reduced the oedema formed by the subsequent transplantar administration of histamine into the rat paw, in a dose-dependent manner.

Irreversible but not reversible pulpitis is associated with up-regulation of tumour necrosis factor-alpha gene expression in human pulp.

Aim: To analyse the gene expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in human dental pulps, under normal and inflammatory conditions and to examine the association between any observed alterations in the expression of this cytokine with the severity of the clinical symptoms.

Methodology: Eighteen pulpal samples were obtained from single-rooted human teeth. Six of the teeth were normal (group A), six had been diagnosed with reversible pulpitis (group B), and the remaining six were from teeth diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis (group C).