Histamine release from leucocytes during migraine attack.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Neurology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Migraine is a complex neurological disorder often associated with vascular changes.
• Histamine is a key mediator in allergic reactions and inflammation, and its role in migraine is under investigation.
• Leukocytes, particularly basophils, are known to release histamine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate spontaneous histamine release (SHR) from basophils in migraine patients during different phases of an attack.
• To assess histamine release (HR) from healthy donor leukocytes incubated with migraine patient sera.
• To explore the potential contribution of histamine release to migraine pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

• Collected blood samples from 27 migraine patients during various attack phases and symptom-free periods.
• Measured spontaneous histamine release (SHR) from patient basophils.
• Incubated healthy donor leukocytes with patient sera from different attack phases and control sera to measure histamine release (HR).

Main Results:

• Mean SHR during the first 3 hours of a migraine attack (33.7%) was significantly higher than in healthy individuals (15.9%).
• SHR in migraine patients did not significantly differ between the attack phase and symptom-free periods.
• Histamine release from healthy leukocytes was increased when incubated with migraine sera compared to control sera, indicating a serum factor.
• However, HR induced by sera did not significantly differ between attack and symptom-free periods.

Conclusions:

• Elevated spontaneous histamine release from basophils during the early migraine attack phase may play a role in the condition.
• Migraine sera contain factors that can induce histamine release from leukocytes, suggesting a potential passive transfer mechanism.
• These findings suggest that histamine release could contribute to the vascular hyperreactivity observed in migraine.