Histaminergic system in the cat hypothalamus with reference to type B monoamine oxidase

It is known that histamine (HA) and type B monoamine oxidase (MAO-B), an enzyme involved in its metabolism, are present in the posterior hypothalamus, but the sites where MAO-B intervenes in HA metabolism remain uncertain. The present study examined and compared the detailed distribution and morphology of neurons immunoreactive to HA (HA-ir) and MAO-B (MAO-B-ir) in the cat hypothalamus. HA-ir neurons were localized almost exclusively in the posterior hypothalamus with the largest group in the tuberomammillary nucleus and adjacent areas. MAO-B-ir staining was detected in the vast majority of HA-ir neurons, suggesting that the degradation of tele-methylhistamine (t-MHA), the direct metabolite of HA, may occur within these cells. Nevertheless, a few HA-ir cells showed no detectable or very weak MAO-B-ir labeling; a small group of neurons containing MAO-B alone was detected in the area dorsolateral to the caudal part of the arcuate nucleus. Numerous HA-ir axons and terminal-like structures were distributed unevenly in virtually all hypothalamic regions. One of their principal trajectories ascended through the ventrolateral part of the hypothalamus and rostrally formed an axon column, which ascended into the preoptic area and contributed fibers to the diagonal band of Broca and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Other HA-ir axons passed laterally, dorsal to the zona incerta or ventrally through a narrow zone dorsal to the optic tract. Numerous long HA-ir axons coursed dorsomedially from the ventrolateral posterior hypothalamus to the dorsal hypothalamic area. Many are oriented vertically to the thalamus in the midline. MAO-B-ir axons and fibers were detectable throughout the hypothalamus and overlapped the areas distributing HA-ir fibers. They were, however, weaker in staining intensity and apparently fewer than the HA-ir fibers. MAO-B-ir glial cells were numerous in all hypothalamic structures rich in HA-ir fibers. These results suggest that the metabolism of t-MHA may also occur within HA terminals and glial cells.