Activity of substance P on human skin and nasal airways

Nasal challenge and intradermal injection with substance P (SP) were performed in five normal subjects and in five patients suffering from allergic rhinitis. No clinical symptoms, local histamine release, or modifications of nasal airway resistance were observed when SP was insufflated in the nose. Conversely, intradermal injection with SP caused a wheal and flare reaction in all the studied subjects. The different response to SP is likely to be due to the heterogeneity of human skin and nasal mucosa mast cells as far as sensitivity to histamine-releasing agents is concerned. Our findings indicate that SP has no relevant effect on human nasal mucosa, even if a synergetic action of SP with other allergic mediators cannot be excluded. The role of SP in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases in humans remains to be defined and deserves further study.