Effects of halothane, enflurane and pentobarbital on brain histamine dynamics in mice

The effects of halothane, enflurane, ketamine and pentobarbital on brain histamine dynamics were examined in mice. Brain histamine and tele-methylhistamine, a predominant metabolite of brain histamine, were simultaneously measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Anaesthesia with the four agents had no effect on brain histamine content. The tele-methylhistamine content significantly increased during 1 h and 2 h anaesthesia with halothane (0.051 mmol/l or 0.76 mol/l) and 2 h anaesthesia with enflurane (0.11 mol/l or 0.16 mol/l). Enflurane and pentobarbital significantly inhibited the histamine depletion induced by alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), a specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, suggesting that these agents decrease the histamine turnover. However, halothane and ketamine were ineffective in this respect. These results emphasize that various anaesthetics have different influences on brain histamine dynamics. Since there have been findings suggesting that brain histaminergic systems are involved in physiological functions such as regulation of blood pressure, body temperature and hormone secretion, changes in the brain histamine turnover should be given due attention with regard to physiological changes during anaesthesia.