ANTIINFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF LOW-DOSE ORAL THEOPHYLLINE IN ATONIC ASTHMA

Theophylline, in addition to its bronchodilator effect, may attenuate inflammation in asthma. We did a double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effect of oral theophylline on the inflammatory response of th e bronchial mucosa to inhalation of allergen in 19 atopic asthmatic su bjects. Bronchoscopy and bronchial biopsy were done 24 hours after all ergen inhalation before and after six weeks of treatment with oral slo w-release theophylline, 200 mg 12 hourly. The mean serum concentration was 36.6 mu mol/L, which is below the currently-accepted therapeutic range. After treatment with theophylline there was a significant reduc tion in the number of EG2-positive activated eosinophils (5.9 before a nd 2.1 after treatment, Wilcoxon signed rank p<0.05) and total eosinop hils (16.7 before and 7.6 after treatment, p<0.05) beneath the epithel ial basement membrane. We conclude that low-dose oral theophylline att enuates airway inflammatory response to allergen inhalation in atopic asthma.