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Histamine Release from Cultured Human Basophils: Lack of Histamine Resynthesis After Antigenic Release

Clinical Immunology Section, Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

Abstract

Human peripheral basophils can be maintained in culture for up to 72 hr. These cells retain their functional integrity as judged by total histamine content and by their ability to release histamine by an IgE-mediated reaction in response to a specific antigen challenge. Cells cultured after suboptimal antigenic challenge could be activated to release histamine upon the addition of antigen. In contrast, cells cultured after supra-optimal antigenic challenge did not fully recover their ability to release histamine even after 24 hr.

With a variety of culture conditions, it was impossible to demonstrate any net synthesis of histamine in cells. Cells cultured after depletion of their stores by reaction with antigen did not show any net histamine formation. The experiments suggest that the basophil in peripheral blood is functionally an end-stage cell and can participate in the histamine release reaction only once.