Antiserotonin-antihistamine agents in allergic diseases clinical evaluation of cyproheptadine

Abstract

Recently a Chemical compound, l-methyl-4-(5-dibenzo-[a, e] cycloheptatrieny- lidene)-piperidine (cyproheptadine), was synthesized which presenta the characteristic of being at the same time a potent antihistamine and an antiserotonin substance with similar activity to that of lysergic acid diethylamide (Stone et al. [1]). It is well known that histamine plays an important role in the phenomena of allergy and anaphylaxis. However, as Humphrey and Jaques (2), Rocha e Silva (3) and numerous authors have shown (4,5,6,7), especially in anaphylactic reactions several other pharmacodynamically active substances in addition to histamine, such as 5-hydroxy- tryptamine or serotonin, bradykinin, etc., are released. Although the role that serotonin plays in allergic reactions is not clear, nevertheless it has been of considerable interest to investígate clinically a drug that has combined antihistamine and antiserotinin activity. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the effect of cyproheptadine on two types of allergic diseases: asthma, in which antíhistaminic agents have little favorable effect, and urticaria, in which the antihistamines exert considerable therapeutic effect.