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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Pre-Clinical Model of Synovitis Using Ex vivo Human Synovial Tissue with Preserved Function and Architecture
Published on: March 20, 2026
Histamine induces interleukin-6 expression in the human synovial sarcoma cell line (SW982) through the H1 receptor
1Department of Molecular Biology, Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc, 12790 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130, USA. swang@neurocrine.com
Methods:
The effect of histamine on inositol phosphate generation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release from the synovial sarcoma cell line SW982 was investigated.
Results:
SW982 cells express functional H1 and H2 receptors. The H1 receptor antagonist [3H]-mepyramine binds to membranes from SW982 cells with high affinity and the binding was potently blocked by H1 antagonists. Histamine potently stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization with EC50 of 4.0 +/- 0.8 microM and 1.3 +/- 0.6 microM respectively and these activities were blocked by the H1 selective antagonist mepyramine. Histamine (EC50 = 1.8 +/- 1.1 microM) stimulated the release of IL-6 that was attenuated by selective H1 antagonists. The PKC inhibitor, GF1090203X, blocked the histamine stimulated IL-6 release. The H2 selective antagonist, cimetidine, had no significant effect on histamine-induced PI turnover, Ca2+ mobilization and IL-6 release.
Conclusion:
We conclude that histamine stimulates IL-6 release from SW982 cells by binding to the H1 receptor and this is coupled to the PI/PKC signal transduction pathway. Development of an H1 antagonist that inhibits the release of IL-6 from synoviocytes may be beneficial for the treatment of inflammatory joint disease.
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