A method to assess histamine-induced cyclic AMP production in isolated gastric mucosal cells from human biopsies.

Human gastric mucosal cells were isolated by digestion of fundic biopsies with pronase and collagenase. The mean value of gastric cells per milligram biopsy specimen +/- SEM was 59,000 +/- 4,300 (n = 31) with a viability of 90 +/- 5%. With the cell yield of 1 patient a series of approximately 70-80 cyclic AMP measurements was possible. Histamine stimulated intracellular cyclic AMP production with an EC50 value of 35 +/- 25 mumol/l (SEM; n = 4). In the presence of 100 mumol/l histamine the Ki values (mumol/l) for the histamine H2 receptor antagonists averaged 1.45 (cimetidine), 0.10 (ranitidine), and 0.02 (famotidine). No significant inhibition of histamine-induced cyclic AMP production was obtained with the histamine H1 receptor antagonist triprolidine. With the new method histamine-induced cyclic AMP production can be measured in intact human gastric mucosal cells from fundic biopsy samples.