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[Studies on antiaggregating drugs of horseshoe crab amebocytes]
I J Chen1, S J Hwang, Y M Chen
1Department of Pharmacology, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Abstract:
The effects of drugs on amebocyte spontaneous aggregation and endotoxin induced aggregation were studied. N-Ethylmaleimide, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, propranolol, verapamil and lidocaine but not dibutyryl cyclic AMP could reduce the aggregating rate of amebocytes. The speed of degranulation induced by endotoxin was reduced by N-ethylmaleimide, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, propranolol, verapamil and caffeine. These results suggest that Ca+2 and c-AMP may play an important role in amebocyte spontaneous aggregation and endotoxin induced aggregation. The blocking agent of Ca+2 and c-AMP can also antagonize the aggregation of amebocytes.