Urinary leukotriene E4 (LTE4) concentrations have been measured in six asthmatic patients with aspirin sensitivity and in five asthmatic subjects tolerant of aspirin, before and after provocation with aspirin or placebo. Aspirin-sensitive subjects showed an average 21% fall in FEV1 after aspirin challenge whereas control individuals had a 2% fall in FEV1 after ingestion of 100 mg aspirin. The resting urinary LTE4 concentrations in asthmatic subjects sensitive to aspirin were 243 pg/mg creatinine (range 50 to 1,041), and these were on average sixfold greater than those in control asthmatic subjects. Further, there was a mean fourfold increase in urinary LTE4 levels at 3 to 6 h after aspirin, but not placebo, challenge in aspirin-sensitive asthmatic subjects that was not seen in the control asthmatic individuals. Leukotriene release may play a central role in the mechanisms of asthmatic attacks produced by aspirin ingestion.

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Background. Experimental cardiac ischemia in some animal models results in the activation of the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase and the subsequent production of leukotrienes, potent proinflammatory lipid mediators, by the affected myocardium. Furthermore, prototype antileukotriene drugs can show some beneficial effects on infarct size and cardiac function in these models.

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