Histamine formation in the blood and bone marrow of the guinea pig

¹ Psychopharmacology Research Laboratories, Veterans Administration Hospital, Sepulveda, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of California Center for Health Sciences, and Department of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Los Angeles, California

The histamine content and the histidine decarboxylase activity of bone marrow have been studied in guinea pigs treated with foreign protein. In some experiments the effect of 6-methylprednisolone also was observed. Treatment of guinea pigs with foreign protein resulted in a 10-fold increase of both histamine concentration and histidine decarboxylating activity in the blood and bone marrow. Histamine levels and histidine decarboxylating activity were related to the number of basophils. A fairly constant relationship was found between the histamine content and the enzyme activity per basophil. The findings suggest that histamine is formed and to a certain extent also stored in the basophilic leukocytes.

Note:
With the Technical Assistance of Jeffrey Matz

Key Words: histidine decarboxylase in basophils • histamine formation and basophils • prednisolone and histamine formation • basophils of bone marrow and histamine • basophilia, experimental, and histamine • blood histamine and basophils protein, foreign, basophilia and histamine, reaction to

Submitted on February 24, 1964