HISTOLOGIC RESPONSES IN HUMAN-SKIN TEST REACTIONS TO RAGWEED .4. EFFECTS OF A SINGLE INTRAVENOUS-INJECTION OF STEROIDS

[摘要] A controlled study was carried out dealing with the early effects of a single i.v. dose of either methylprednisolone or placebo on newly developed and ongoing cellular inflammatory responses in immediate hypersensitivity skin test reactions. There was no significant difference in the tissue eosinophil responses to ragweed injected 2 h before and 2 h after placebo; there was a significant rise (101% .+-. 39) from the 2nd-4th h after antigen injection. By contrast, there was a marked decrease in the tissue eosinophil response to antigen injected 2 h after steroids as compared to the pattern seen in the presteroid reaction. The eosinophil numbers not only did not increase from the 2nd-4th h when steroids were injected at the 2nd h but decreased markedly. These findings suggest early suppressive effects on tissue eosinophil responses within 2 h after steroid were administered i.v. There may be trafficking of eosinophils both into and out of these inflammatory sites during the 1st hours after intradermal antigen injection.