On the mechanism of dextran-induced histamine secretion from rat peritoneal mast cells

The mechanism of histamine release induced from isolated rat peritoneal mast cells by clinical dextran was examined in detail. The putative involvement of cell-fixed IgE antibodies in the process was discounted by a number of experimental approaches. Instead, the characteristics of the release were found to be consistent with the interaction of the polysaccharide with specific glucoreceptors on the mast cell membrane.