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Plasma histamine and hemodynamic responses following administration of nalbuphine and morphine

Agents and Actions volume 15, pages 229–234 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

A comparative study of plasma histamine levels following administration or morphine and nalbuphine in pentobarbital anesthetized dogs was performed. Two concentrations, 3 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg of these drugs were investigated. High dose morphine caused an immediate marked increase in plasma histamine from 5.0±0.4 to 340±72 ng/ml. Simultaneous with this increase in plasma histamine was a marked decrease in mean arterial blood pressure within the first minute. In contrast significant alterations in plasma histamine levels were not observed with high or low doses of nalbuphine. A low dose of morphine (0.3 mg/kg) did not increase plasma histamine levels. Heart rate was not changed by any drug treatment. The use of compound 48/80 a specific mast cell degranulating agent allowed for the identification of a specific pool of mast cells capable of responding to morphine.In vitro exposure of purified dog leukocytes to high doses of morphine did not result in histamine release. These results indicate that nalbuphine does not increase plasma histamine, while morphine does, and that the source of the increase in plasma histamine is from tissue mast cells.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 20814, Bethesda, MD, USA

    S. M. Muldoon, R. Todd & W. Freas

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, 20814, Bethesda, MD, USA

    M. A. Donlon & E. A. Helgeson

Authors
  1. S. M. Muldoon
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  2. M. A. Donlon
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  3. R. Todd
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  4. E. A. Helgeson
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  5. W. Freas
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Additional information

This work has been supported in part by NIH grant GM 25926 and USUHS grant RO8004.

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Muldoon, S.M., Donlon, M.A., Todd, R. et al. Plasma histamine and hemodynamic responses following administration of nalbuphine and morphine. Agents and Actions 15, 229–234 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01972353

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01972353

Keywords

  • Morphine
  • Mast Cell
  • Histamine
  • Arterial Blood Pressure
  • Pentobarbital