THE IN VITRO RELEASE OF HISTAMINE FROM THE BLOOD CELLS OF SENSITIZED RABBITS: RELATIONSHIP TO BLOOD COAGULATION MECHANISMS

Abstract

The fact that histamine is released from the blood cells during coagulation prompted a study of the possibility that various components of the blood coagulation system might participate in the anaphylactic of histamine from sensitized rabbit blood cells. The results indicate that thrombin, prothrombin, thromboplastin and Ac-globulin [Accelerator globulin] probably are not involved in the in vitro release of histamine by antigen from the blood cells of sensitized rabbits because: (a) severe dicumarol treatment does not affect the histamine release, (b) extremely large amts. of heparin only partially inhibit the histamine release, and (c) soybean trypsin inhibitor fails to inhibit the histamine release. Oxalate, citrate, Ca++ and Mg++ inhibit the histamine release reaction at approx. the same concns. as are required for effective anticoagulant action. The histamine release mechanism is much more rapidly inactivated by citrate than is any part of the blood coagulation system.