[Research on a new allergenic extract adsorbed on L-tyrosine. Pharmacological and immunotherapeutic findings]. / Ricerche su un nuovo estratto allergenico adsorbito su L-tirosina. Indagini farmacologiche ed immunoterapiche.

Antigen-specific immunotherapy, whose usefulness has been widely and objectively documented in the last few years, and whose therapeutic effectiveness depends on the administration of high doses of antigen, exploits the use of retard allergenic extracts which turn out to be more tolerated, and liable to a lower occurrence of side-effects. The Authors describe the results obtained with pollinosis vaccine adsorbed on L-tyrosine and employed on 206 patients with seasonal allergic conditions. Pharmacological experiments were performed on these vaccines, to establish their general tolerability (on mice and guinea-pigs), their local tolerability and the prolonged tolerability on rats. The results of the pharmacological experiments show that the vaccine does not cause any side-effects or toxic phenomena, that the growth curve of the animals treated is superposable to that of the controls, and that the product is perfectly absorbed without irritation or phlogosis of the peripheral tissues. As far as the clinical data are concerned a high percentage of cases (56.6%) classified as "optimal" were observed, while only a low percentage (4.54%) showed results classified as "null". Concerning the occurrence and the frequency of side-effects we should like to point out that only in one of the 206 cases tested (0.48%) was there local itching. These data are particularly significant, when compared with the side effects registered during immunotherapy with the aqueous vaccines.

Cytotoxic effects of peptichemio on synchronized EUE cells.

The effect of Peptichemio (PTC) on cellular growth and on macromolecular syntheses was analyzed through the cell cycle of EUE cells. The cell response to the various treatments was measured by determining plating efficiency, growth rates and incorporation of labelled precursors of DNA, RNA and protein syntheses. Three maximum inhibition points were found on cell survival, one corresponding to the early G1, another to the middle S and a last one to the late G2. Parallel experiments of incorporation of labelled precursors of DNA, RNA and proteins revealed an effect only on DNA during the early and middle S phase.