Abstract
Tissue histamine levels and mast cell numbers were determined in the skin, tongue and jejunum of female rnu/nu and rnu/+ rats aged between 5 and 29 weeks. The tongue and jejunal mucosa of rnu/nu rats had a larger mast cell density and histamine content than rnu/+. There was a marked increase in subepithelial mast cells in the skin of rnu/nu rats compared with their normal littermates, while mast cell numbers in the deep skin layer and the histamine content were similar in the two groups of rat. Subepithelial skin mast cells were smaller, of more variable shape and contained fewer granules than mast cells in the deep dermal layer, and, unlike the latter, did not emit a yellow fluorescence after treatment with o-phthaladehyde. The results indicate that the bulk of the skin histamine is contained in mast cells residing in deep skin layers. They also support the view that the thymus may have a suppressive effect on both mucosal and connective tissue mast cellsin vivo.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
L. Enerbäck,The gut mucosal mast cell, Monographs in Allergy17, pp. 222–232. Karger, Basel 1981.
J. Bienenstock, A.D. Befus, F. Pearce, J. Denburg andR. Goodacre,Mast cell heterogeneity: derivation and function, with emphasis on the intestine, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol.70, 407–412 (1982).
W.H. Taliaferro andM.P. Sarles,The cellular reactions in the skin, lungs and intestine of normal and immune rats after infection with Nippostrongylus muris, J. Inf. Dis. 64, 157–192 (1939).
P.D. Wells,Mast cell, eosinophil and histamine levels in Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infected rats, Exp. Parasitol.12, 82–101 (1962).
E.J. Ruitenberg andA. Elgersma,Absence of intestinal mast cell response in congenitally athymic mice during Trichinella spiralis infection, Nature264, 258–260 (1976).
C.E. Olson andD.A. Levy,Thymus-dependency of the mast cell response to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis in mice, Fed. Proc.35, 491 (1976).
P.K. Crowle,Mucosal mast cell reconstitution and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis rejection by W/W v mice, J. Parasitol.69, 66–69 (1983).
J.G. Vos, E.J. Ruitenberg, N. van Basten, J. Buys, A. Elgersma andW. Kruizinga The athymic nude rat. IV. Immunocytochemical study to detect T-cells, and immunological and histopathological reactions against Trichinella spiralis, Parasite Immunol.5, 195–215 (1983).
C. Mayrhofer andH. Bazin,Nature of the thymus dependency of mucosal mast cells. III. Mucosal mast cells in nude mice and nude rats, in B rats and in a child with the Di George Syndrome, Int. Archs Allergy appl. Immun.64, 320–331 (1981).
V. Viklicky, P. Sima andH. Pritchard,On the origin of mast cells in adult life, Folia Biol. Praha19, 247–251 (1973).
R. Keller, M.W. Hess andJ.F. Riley,Mast cells in the skin of normal, hairless and athymic mice, Experientia32, 171–172 (1976).
H. Ginsburg, D. Ben-Shahar andE. Ben-David,Mast cell growth on fibroblast monolayers: two-cell entities, Immunology45, 371–380 (1982).
H. Ginsburg, E.C. Olson, T.F. Huff, H. Okudaira andT. Ishizaka,Enhancement of mast cell differentiation in vitro by T cell factor(s), Int. Archs Allergy appl. Immun.66, 447–458 (1981).
F. Aldenborg andL. Enerbäck,Thymus dependence of connective tissue mast cells: A quantitative cytofluorometric study of the growth of peritoneal mast cells in normal and athymic rats, Int. Archs Allergy appl. Immun.78, 277–282 (1985).
S. Allemark, S. Bergström andL. Enerbäck,A selective post column o-phthalaldehyde-derivatization system for the determination of histamine in biological material by high-performance liquid chromatography, Anal. Biochem.144, 98–103 (1985).
L. Enerbäck,Mast cells in rat gastrointestinal mucosa. I. Effect of fixation, Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand.66, 298–302 (1966a).
L. Enerbäck,Mast cells in rat gastrointestinal mucosa. II. Dye-binding and metachromatic properties, Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand.66, 303–312 (1966b).
L. Enerbäck,Detection of histamine in mast cells by ophthalaldehyde reaction after liquid fixation, J. Histochem. Cytochem.17, 757–759 (1969).
U. Wingren L. Enerbäck, H. Ahlman, S. Allenmark andA. Dahlström,Amines of the mucosal mast cell of the gut in normal and nematode infected rats, Histochemistry77, 145–158 (1983).
N. Mantel,Chi-square tests with one degree of freedom; Extensions of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure, J. Am. Stat. Assoc.58, 690–700 (1963).
J. Padawer,Quantitative studies with mast cells, Ann. NY Acad. Sci.103, 87–137 (1963).
F. Aldenborg andL. Enerbäck,Allometric growth of the rat peritoneal mast cell mass and of the granular constituents: heparin, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine, Growth (1986).
J.F. Riley andG.B. West,The presence of histamine in tissue mast cells, J. Physiol.120, 528–537 (1953).
R. Håkansson andC. Owman,Concomintant histochemical demonstration of histamine and catecholamines in enterochromaffin-like cells of gastric mucosa, Life Sci.6, 759–766 (1967).
H.R.P. Miller andR. Walshaw,Immune reactions in mucous membranes. IV. Histochemistry of intestinal mast cells during helminth expulsion in the rat, Am. J. Pathol.69, 195–208 (1972).
L. Enerbäck andU. Wingren,Histamine content of periotoneal and tissue mast cells of growing rats, Histochemistry66, 113–124 (1980).
D.A. Befus, F.L. Pearce, J. Gauldie, P. Horsewood andJ. Bienenstock,Mucosal mast cells. I. Isolation and functional characteristics of rat intestinal mast cells, J. Immunol.128, 2475–2480 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aldenborg, F., Enerbäck, L. Histamine content and mast cell numbers in tissues of normal and athymic rats. Agents and Actions 17, 454–459 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01965513
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01965513