title: Experimental anxiety induced by histaminergics in mast cell-deficient and congenitally normal mice.
abstract: To clarify the effect of mast cell-derived histamine release in the brain on anxiety, histaminergics-induced anxiety-like behaviors were examined by a light/dark test in mast cell-deficient (W/Wv) and congenitally normal (+/+) mice. In +/+ mice, when cimetidine (an H2 receptor antagonist) was coadministered with thioperamide (a neuronal histamine releaser acting via inhibition of H3 autoreceptors) or Compound 48/80 (C48/80, a selective histamine releaser from mast cells), the time spent in the light zone and the number of crossings between light and dark zones in a light/dark test decreased significantly, suggesting induction of anxiety. In W/Wv mice, however, experimental anxiety was induced by coadministration of thioperamide-cimetidine, but not C48/80-cimetidine. These results suggest that both nonneuronal mast cell-derived histamine and neuronal histamine play an important role in inducing experimental anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Kampo & Pharmacognosy Laboratories, Tsumura, 3586 Yoshiwara, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-1192, Japan. ikarashi_yasushi@mail.tsumura.co.jp
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikarashi
authors.forename: Mitsutoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuzurihara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003624:Darkness; D018494:Histamine Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D008029:Lighting; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains
chemical_list: D018494:Histamine Agents