Regulatory effect of histamine on the barrier function of intestinal mucosal.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the regulatory effect of histamine on the barrier function of intestinal mucosal.


METHODS
The monolayer Caco-2 cell system in vitro and the model of hemorrhage infection in rats in vivo were established as experimental models. The amount of bacterial translocation was taken as an index of the effect of histamine and its receptor antagon, cimetidine on the intestinal mucosal barrier function.


RESULTS
(1) The in vitro experiment showed that after treatment with histamine, the CFU of Escherichia coli 075 invading into Caco-2 cells were much lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). (2) The animal experiment showed that in the histamine group (hemorrhage infection rats treated with histamine), the average numbers of bacteria in the liver and lymph nodes were much lower than that in control group (P < 0.05). The mean bacterial number in the cimetidine group (hemorrhage infection rats treated both with histamine and cimetidine) was more than that in the histamine group, but without statistical signification (P > 0.05). But the rate of translocation to the liver between histamine group (37.5%) and cimetidine group (100%) was statistically different (P < 0.05)


CONCLUSIONS
Small concentration of histamine can inhibit bacteria from entering epithelial cells and inhibit intestinal bacterial translocation.
Duan
Ligeng
L
The Department of General Surgery, Huaxi Hospital, Medical Center, University of Sichuan, Chengdu 610041, China.
Chen
Xiaoli
X
Alexander
J W
JW
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000503:physiopathology; D018988:Bacterial Translocation; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D002927:Cimetidine; D006632:Histamine