Some biological and pharmacological properties of inflammatory exudates.

Inflammatory exudates were obtained from polyester sponges which had been implanted subcutaneously in rats four days previously. This material was found to be anti-inflammatory when injected into other rats in which carrageenan pleurisy had been induced. At a dose of 600 mg kg-1 exudate inhibited the formation of pleural effusion, emigration of both neutrophils and mononuclear cells and the accumulation of beta-glucuronidase and lactic dehydrogenase. The same dose of sponge exudate did not however inhibit the increased vascular permeability induced in the rat skin or rat foot following injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine, histamine, prostaglandin E1, or bradykinin. Furthermore sponge exudate did not reduce the haemolytic complement titre of rat serum either in vivo or in vitro. The possible mechanism of anti-inflammatory action of exudate is discussed.