Dependence of histamine release from rat mast cells on adenosine triphosphate

Summary using pure populations of rat mast cells, the relation of the ATP content of the cells to histamine release induced by compound 48/80 has been studied. Variable ATP levels in the mast cells have been produced by incubation with appropriate concentrations of oligomycin.The dose-response curves of oligomycin for the inhibition of histamine release and for the reduction in the ATP content of the mast cells are similar. The concentration required for 50% inhibition of histamine release is, however, higher than that for 50% reduction of the ATP level.Comparative study of the reduction of the ATP content and the inhibition of histamine release in samples of the same suspension of mast cells shows a linear relation between 10 to 90% inhibition of histamine release and 40 to 95% inhibition of ATP synthesis.The observations support the hypothesis that ATP is involved in the process of histamine release from mast cells induced by compound 48/80.