Leukotriene receptors in the skin of rats differ from those of mouse skin or rat stomach strip.
To compare the receptors for cysteinyl-leukotriene (cys-LT) in rat skin with those in other tissues, we investigated the effects of specific cys-LT receptor antagonists (FPL 55712, LY171883, MCI-826 and L-648051) on cys-LT-induced cutaneous reactions in rats and mice, and on cys-LT-induced contractile responses in rat stomach smooth muscle. We also studied the effects of these drugs on homologous passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. The four cys-LT receptor antagonists dose dependently inhibited cys-LT-induced cutaneous reactions in mouse ear, but failed to inhibit passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and the histamine-induced cutaneous reaction. In rats, only MCI-826 inhibited cys-LT-induced cutaneous reactions although the other three drugs failed to inhibit these reactions. In contrast, the cys-LT-induced contractile responses of rat stomach smooth muscle were inhibited by all these drugs in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that cys-LT receptors in rat skin have an affinity different from that of receptors in mouse skin and rat stomach. They also suggest that cys-LTs are not involved in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in mice and rats.