Preferential suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity by L-156,602, a C5a receptor antagonist

In the course of our screening for in vivo immunomodulating substances in which sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and heat-killed Brucella abortus cells (thymus dependent and independent antigens, respectively) for antibody production assays, and trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) for delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assay were adopted as antigens, we detected a DTH-specific suppressive activity. The producing organism was isolated from a soil sample collected in Ushiku City, Ibaraki, Japan and identified with Streptomyces sp. A1502 (FERM P-12448). The active component was identified with L-156,602, a C5a receptor antagonist. L-156,602 suppressed both TNBS-induced and TNP-SRBC-induced DTH while it enhanced antibody production against SRBC, Brucella abortus, and TNP-SRBC. L-156,602 significantly suppressed DTH induced by direct injection of type 1 helper T cells and its relevant antigen into hind-footpads, indicating that the efferent phase of DTH was affected by L-156,602. The results demonstrated that L-156,602 preferentially suppressed the DTH response.