Characteristics of histamine and serotonin release from rat mast cells induced by thymic peptides

Thymopoietin peptides release histamine and serotonin from rat mast cells. The release has the characteristics of other basic secretagogues in that it occurs rapidly, does not require extracellular Ca2+ ions, and is inhibited by benzalkonium chloride (BAC). These similarities indicate that chemically different basic compounds have common mechanisms for histamine and serotonin release from rat mast cells.