Release of tryptase together with histamine during the immediate cutaneous response to allergen

Better in vivo techniques are needed for objective assessment of mast cell-dependent events. Tryptase, a neutral protease selectively concentrated in human mast cells, appears along with histamine in skin chamber fluid overlying sites of allergen challenge in sensitive human subjects. Maximal amounts of histamine were found 0 minutes to 30 minutes after challenge; maximal amounts of tryptase were found 30 minutes to 60 minutes after challenge. The later appearance of tryptase most likely reflects its slower diffusion through tissue after release of tryptase from cutaneous mast cells as a macromolecular complex with proteoglycan. The mean weight ratio of tryptase (134,000 molecular weight tetramer) to histamine (111 molecular weight) in chamber fluid after allergen challenge during a 1-hour time course was 4:1. Total amounts of tryptase and histamine recovered in the 0.3 ml chamber fluid samples after a 1-hour challenge averaged 95 ng and 26 ng, respectively. Tryptase levels in skin chamber fluid are an accurate indicator of mast cell activation.