Salmeterol is an effective long-acting beta(2)-agonist bronchodilator, able to inhibit, as a single dose, asthmatic responses induced by several stimuli including allergen, and the subsequent increase in sputum eosinophilia. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether these effects of salmeterol persisted after 1 week of continuous treatment, or whether a loss of the bronchoprotective effects of salmeterol can occur over time. We investigated in a cross-over double blind placebo-controlled study, the protective effect of 1 week treatment with salmeterol on allergen-induced early and late responses and the associated airway inflammation in 15 atopic asthmatic subjects. Eosinophil percentage and Eosinophil Cationic Protein (ECP) concentration in peripheral blood and in hypertonic saline induced sputum were measured at baseline and 24 h after allergen inhalation. Salmeterol partially inhibited early asthmatic response, but it did not inhibit late asthmatic response in comparison with placebo. Salmeterol did not inhibit also the increase in sputum eosinophils percentage 24 h after allergen inhalation (E%, median: 22.7 and 15%, after placebo and after salmeterol respectively, p=n.s. between two post-allergen sputum samples). Also, the increase in blood eosinophils and both sputum and serum ECP at 24 h after allergen challenge was not affected by salmeterol pre-treatment. In conclusion, 1 week treatment with salmeterol causes a loss of its protective effect on allergen-induced airway bronchoconstriction, and does not prevent the subsequent increase in sputum and serum eosinophilic markers.