The effect of the new orally active antiallergic compound ethyl 2-(4'-carboxybenzamido)-4-propionamidobenzoate sodium salt (AM-682) and its main metabolite (met-A) were evaluated on respiratory burst in isolated human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Both compounds exhibited inhibitory effect with concentration dependency on the n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP)-induced superoxide (O-2) production by human PMN. The inhibitory activity of met-A (IC50 1.1 mumol/l) was higher than that of AM-682 (IC50 85 mumol/l). By contrast, these compounds affected neither PMN O-2 production induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) nor extracellular O-2 generation by the reaction of xanthine oxidase with hypoxanthine. These results indicate that the effects of these compounds act specifically on the generation of O-2 and is not simply a scavenger of O-2. This anti-inflammatory effect may also be beneficial in the treatment of asthma.