Naturally occurring aliphatic polyamines-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells

Rat peritoneal mast cells were incubated with different concentrations of naturally occurring aliphatic polyamines, spermine and spermidine, at 0.1-10 mM and the amount of histamine release into the supernatant solutions was measured. The addition of each polyamine to the suspensions of the mast cells caused a histamine release in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of 10 mM spermine and spermidine was as much as that of 0.5 microgram/ml compound 48/80. The histamine release from the cells incubated with each polyamine was rapid and the amount of histamine release into the supernatant solutions reached a maximum at 1 min with the incubations. 0.1 mM spermine, which in itself could not cause a significant histamine release, showed a tendency to enhance anti-IgE-induced histamine release from the mast cells.