title: Heterogeneity of human mast cells and basophils in response to muscle relaxants.
abstract: The authors studied the effects of increasing concentrations 10(-5)-10(-3) M) of four muscle relaxants (succinylcholine, d-tubocurarine, vecuronium, and atracurium) on histamine release from peripheral blood basophils and mast cells isolated from human lung parenchyma, skin tissues, and heart fragments. Basophil granulocytes released less than 5% of their histamine content when incubated with any one of the muscle relaxants tested. In contrast, mast cells showed a significant heterogeneity in response to different muscle relaxants. Succinylcholine did not induce histamine release from any type of mast cell, and only high concentrations of d-tubocurarine (10(-3) M) caused histamine release from skin and lung mast cells. Vecuronium concentration-dependently induced histamine release from skin and lung--but not from heart mast cells--to a maximum of 7.2 +/- 2.1% and 4.9 +/- 1.4%, respectively. Atracurium concentration-dependently caused significant histamine release from skin and lung mast cells to a maximum of 46.2 +/- 15.1% and 30.6 +/- 6.0%, respectively. Atracurium (5 x 10(-5) - 2 x 10(-4) M) also induced histamine release from heart mast cells. The histamine release process from both lung and skin mast cells caused by atracurium and vecuronium was extremely rapid (t1/2 = less than 1 min). The releasing activity of atracurium and vecuronium on lung and skin mast cells was not reduced, and not abolished, by lowering the temperature of the incubation buffer to 22 degrees C and 4 degrees C. Extracellular calcium did not affect the capacity of atracurium and vecuronium to induce histamine release from lung and skin mast cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Immunology, Second School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stellato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Paulis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mastronardi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mazzarella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marone
mesh_terms: D001491:Basophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006636:Histamine Release / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology; D013390:Succinylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents; D013390:Succinylcholine