Mechanism of histamine release in endotoxin shock

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Abstract
Reports from this laboratory have dealt with hemodynamic changes after injection of endotoxin and the role of histamine in endotoxin shock. This study relates to the mechanism of histamine release. Anesthetized dogs were administered lethal doses of E. coli endotoxin. During the course of the subsequent hypotension, simultaneous increases of blood histamine, histamine-histidine ratio(H/Hd), and circulating hematocrit were observed. Results suggest that a conversion from histidine to histamine occurs at an accelerated rate following endotoxin administration. These findings give further evidence for the active role of histamine in endotoxin shock and support a hypothesis recently proposed by Schayer.