Studies on the Release of Histamine from the Blood Cells of the Rabbit by the Addition of Horse Serum or Egg Albumin in Vitro

Abstract

It was shown by Katz (1940) that incubation of the blood from a sensitized rabbit with the specific antigen in vitro resulted in the liberation of histamine from the cells into the plasma, thus demonstrating “anaphylaxis” in vitro. This was later confirmed by Dragstedt, Ramirez de Arellano and Lawton (1940). It seemed that repetition of this experiment might be of interest particularly since it was previously shown that anaphylactic shock in the rabbit is accompanied by a marked and rapid decrease of the histamine-content of the whole blood, by a moderate decrease in that of the plasma (Rose and Weil, 1939), and by a diminution of the histamine-content of some of the tissues including the lung (Rose, 1940). Methods. Adult (male and female) rabbits were used throughout. Six of these were sensitized by the intraabdominal injection of horse serum, receiving four doses of 2 ml each at two-day intervals.