CROMOGLYCATE AND NEDOCROMIL - INFLUENCE ON AIRWAY REACTIVITY

ALTHOUGH basic mechanisms of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) are still incompletely understood, inflammation of airways is likely to pl ay a fundamental role in modulating BHR in patients with asthma. The i nvolvement of several inflammatory cells (eosinophils, mast cells, lym phocytes, neutrophils, macrophages and platelets) and of bioactive med iators secreted by these cells in the pathogenesis of asthma is well d ocumented. Sodium cromoglycate and nedocromil sodium are two pharmacol ogical agents which have anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory propertie s. Their clinical effectiveness in mild to moderate asthma, and the ca pacity to reduce BHR under different natural and experimental conditio ns, make them valuable drugs for maintenance therapy in patients with asthma.