Gravett, Cornelia M.Tintinger, Gregory RonaldTheron, Annette J.Anderson, RonaldFeldman, CharlesGreen, Robin J.2011-06-212011-06-212010Gravett, CM, Tintinger, GR, Theron, AJ, Anderson, R, Feldman, C & Green, R 2010, 'Montelukast sodium : administration to children to control intermittent asthma', Clinical Medicine Reviews in Therapeutics, vol. 2, pp. 1-10. [http://www.la-press.com/clinical-medicine-reviews-in-therapeutics-journal-j166]1179-2558http://hdl.handle.net/2263/16893The prototype cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, montelukast, is generally considered to have a niche application in the chemotherapy of exercise-induced asthma. It has also been used as add-on therapy in patients whose asthma is poorly controlled with inhaled corticosteroid monotherapy, or with the combination of a long-acting β(2)-agonist and an inhaled corticosteroid. Recently, however, montelukast has been reported to possess secondary anti-inflammatory properties, apparently unrelated to conventional antagonism of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors. These novel activities enable montelukast to target eosinophils, monocytes, and, in particular, the corticosteroid-insensitive neutrophil, suggesting that this agent may have a broader spectrum of anti-inflammatory activities than originally thought. If so, montelukast is potentially useful in the chemotherapy of intermittent asthma because most exacerbations of this condition involve respiratory virus infection-triggered inflammatory mechanisms which, to a large extent, involve airway epithelial cell/neutrophil interactions. The primary objective of this review is to evaluate the role of montelukast in the treatment of intermittent asthma in children.en© the author(s), publisher and licensee Libertas Academica Ltd. This is an open access article. Unrestricted non-commercial use is permitted provided the original work is properly cited.Airway epithelial cellsCorticosteroidsInflammationNeutrophilsRespiratory virusesVirus-induced wheezeMontelukast sodiumExercise-induced asthma -- TreatmentArticle