Effect of 14-membered ring macrolide compounds on rat leucocyte chemotaxis and the structure-activity relationships.

significantly by long-term and low-dose treatment of 14memberedring macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin (EM), clarithromycin (CAM) and roxithromycin (RXM)3'4). Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of macrolide antibiotics include the down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and lymphocytes. EM and azithromycin (AZM), a 15memberedring macrolide antibiotic that has clinical effect in the treatment of DPB, were shown to inhibit neutrophil functions in human peripheral blood of chemotaxis and active oxygen generation in vitro5\ EMwas also shown to exhibit a prophylactic effect on lung injury in vivo by using a bleomycin-induced acute lung injury model in rats6). Previously, we discovered a strong gastrointestinal