Renal histamine: release by immune stimuli

In vitro perfused kidneys of ovalbumin-sensitized guinea-pigs consistently released relatively large quantities of histamine when challenged with the specific antigen (mean +/- SEM in twelve experiments was 37.7 +/- 6.0% of total kidney histamine, maximum 70.6%, compared with a basal release of 0.5 +/- 0.46% over a comparable period) but not with non-cross-reacting antigens. There was also no release from non-sensitized kidney. Rabbit antisera to guinea pig IgG1 and IgG2 immunoglobulins (but not normal rabbit serum) also consistently released histamine from perfused kidneys of sensitized guinea-pigs, but the release was smaller than with antigen, and could also be obtained from kidneys of non-sensitized guinea-pigs (maximum release 62.4% with the most potent antiserum). Guinea-pig kidney cell suspensions prepared by collagenase dispersion in vitro responded similarly, but the release with antigen was small (less than 10% net release, minus the spontaneous release 9.46% on average) as compared to anti-IgG1 (net release up to 38%) or anti-IgG2 (up to 44%). Rat kidney cells prepared by a similar procedure, and passively sensitized in vitro by incubation with rat immunoglobulin E (IgE) myeloma protein also responded to the addition of antiserum to rat IgE by releasing substantial amounts of histamine (up to 44% net release). In addition, heparin-containing cells (presumably mast cells or equivalent) in the enzyme-dispersed kidney cell preparations in both species were identified and counted by an adaptation of the Technicon H 6000 system used for counting blood basophils, and shown to represent 1 in 10,000 or less of the total cell population, which was not different from the count of similar cells in lung and heart tissues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)