1. The basic peptide substance P causes histamine release from peritoneal mast cells of the rat in vitro whereas the closely related neutral peptides eledoisin and physalaemin do not. 2. Infusion of substance P (7.4 nmol min-1), but not of eledoisin (8.4 nmol min-1) or physalaemin (7.9 nmol min-1), into the rat hindquarter preparation caused a more than 4-fold increase of the histamine content in the venous outflow. The outflow of 5-HT remained unchanged under infusion of all three peptides. 3. No histamine depletion in the skin of the rat hind paw was observed following antidromic stimulation of the saphenous nerve or cutaneous application of mustard oil. Infusion of substance P (7.4 nmol min-1) caused a 47% depletion of histamine in the paw skin although only a small proportion of the infused substance P seemed to enter the tissue from the blood vessels. 4. The results further substantiate the view that substance P upon release from peripheral nerve endings induces release of histamine from cutaneous mast cells, a mechanism which contributes to neurogenic vasodilatation and plasma extravasation.

The effect of substance P and compound 48/80 on histamine and serotonin release from not isolated and isolated mast cells have been compared in experiments in vitro. The response of not isolated and isolated mast cells were virtually identical. The release of both amines, in response to 48/80 and substance P, was dose-dependent. The percentage of histamine released by 48/80 was significantly higher than the percentage of serotonin, the difference being higher at lower concentrations of compound 48/80 after 15 min of incubation. Substance P also showed a tendency to higher efficiency for histamine than for serotonin release. In contrast to 48/80, the dose-response curves for histamine and serotonin release were parallel. These results support the view that the ratio between histamine and serotonin release depends on the liberator used. They also showed that this ratio can depend on the concentration of the agent inducing secretion. The results indicate that substance P as well as 48/80 act rather selectively as histamine liberators and that there is some difference in releasing properties of 48/80 and substance P.

Psychotropic agents modify the release of histamine and serotonin from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by compound 48/80. Some antidepressants, such as clomipramine and fluoxetine (10(-8) - 10(-5) mol/l), increase the percentage of released serotonin in the incubation medium but have no effect on histamine release. In contrast, amitriptyline (10(-4) mol/l) inhibits the secretion of histamine and permits that of serotonin. The varying effects of antidepressants on the secretion of histamine and serotonin could be explained either by a differential mechanism of secretion of both amines from mast cells or by a selective effect of drugs on the reuptake of serotonin into mast cells after stimulation by compound 48/80. These hypotheses were further investigated in our present study on rat peritoneal mast cells. Our findings suggest that antidepressants influence the secretion and the reuptake process of amines used. Their effects depend on the concentration of the drug. At lower concentrations, antidepressants (amitriptyline, doxepine and clomipramine) produce no effect on the secretion of the amines whereas at higher concentrations ( > 10(-5) mol/l), they inhibit the release. Additionally, mast cells are capable of removing released serotonin from the incubation medium. Serotonin uptake is an active process which increases with the time of incubation with exogenous serotonin and depends on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and on the temperature of the medium. Preincubation of mast cells with antidepressants inhibits the reuptake of serotonin into mast cells and thus increases the concentration of serotonin in the incubation medium. Since the reuptake of serotonin is a relatively slow process, the elevation of serotonin in the medium is evident only after longer times of incubation.

Characteristics of histamine (Hi) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release from rat peritoneal mast cells in response to the polypeptide adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) were studied. During a 15 min incubation at 37 degrees C, ACTH evoked Hi as well as 5-HT release from rat mast cells at concentrations of 1 X 10(-4) M-1 X 10(-3) M. The release was dose-dependent and very rapid. After 15 sec the amount of the amines released was the same as after 4.5 min. In most experiments, the percentage of Hi release was slightly but significantly higher than the percentage of 5-HT release. Hi and 5-HT release induced by ACTH also took place in a calcium-free medium. However, the release of the amines was decreased when calcium was omitted. Comparison of the effects of ACTH, compound 48/80 and substance P on mast cell secretion showed that ACTH is about 100 times less active then substance P which was in turn about 100 times less active than compound 48/80. When both ACTH and compound 48/80 were used together as liberators , the release was significantly higher than with either liberator alone. Our results indicate that there are receptor sites for the endogenous polypeptide ACTH on the mast cell membrane which mediate Hi and 5-HT release. This release was found to resemble that evoked by the basic secretogogue compound 48/80 but in some aspects to be different from that evoked by substance P.

The aim of the present work was to establish whether the secretory process can be influenced by histamine H2-receptor antagonists, burimamide and metiamide. These drugs were applied intravenously and the secretion was evoked by the electrical stimulation of the chorda tympani nerve or by carbachol (i.v.). In addition to the measurements of the flow of saliva, the blood flow through the gland was measured in some experiments. Both H2-antagonists significantly reduced the rate of salivary secretion induced by the chorda tympani stimulation. The experiments with burimamide did not permit the calculation of dose-response relationship. From the experiments with metiamide the ED50 was 4.6 mumols/kg and Emax was 30% reduction of secretion. The secretory response to carbachol was not diminished by burimamide. In addition to the effect of metiamide on salivation, the reduction of the blood flow through the gland was observed: the effect on the blood flow was significantly smaller, and slower in onset, than the effect on salivation. These results support the hypothesis that H2-receptors are involved in the process of salivary secretion. Histamine effects on glandular elements seem to be more significant than its effect on the blood vessels.