INFLUENCE OF ANIONS, CATIONS AND OSMOLARITY ON IGE-MEDIATED HISTAMINE RELEASED FROM HUMAN BASOPHILS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 43  (4) , 723-731
Abstract
Allergen-activated human basophils require Ca2+ for the in vitro release of histamine. The importance of anions, cations and osmotic pressure on histamine release from human basophils was studied. All media contained 1 mM Ca2+ and various salts or sugars were used to replace the NaCl-KCl of the control medium. Permeant anions supported release of histamine with the following order of activities: acetate- > Br-, I-, > Cl- .mchgt. SO42-. When monovalent cations of the standard medium were replaced, RbCl, CsCl, KCl or NaCl gave results identical to the NaCl-KCl control medium; choline chloride usually enhanced while LiCl inhibited release. When sugar solutions were used to replace monovalent anions and cations of the standard medium: mannitol, lactose, sucrose, sorbitol, fructose and glucose each supported histamine release. Increasing the osmolarity of the medium by adding additional NaCl-KCl enhanced the ability of suboptimal concentrations of ragweed antigen E or anti-IgE to activate and to release histamine from leukocytes. Histamine release from basophils apparently requires only Ca2+. The chemiosmotic swelling hypothesis of secretion for these cells is not supported.