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Role of Histamine in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Disease

Implications for Drug Therapy

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Summary

Cellular immune reactions play a major role in autoimmunity, as autoreactive T lymphocytes appear to recognize autoantigens and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II restriction molecules presented by aberrant nonimmune cells, leading to damage to healthy tissues. Evidence has accumulated to suggest that histamine participates in the regulation of the immune response via binding to specific histamine receptors expressed on cells of immune origin. Histamine may be involved in the development of autoimmune disease via a pathological change in its regulation of the expression of MHC class II restriction antigens by action on histamine H2 receptors.

Well-established treatment modalities such as cyclosporin and methotrexate have recently been shown to inhibit histamine release, and this may therefore support the action of histamine in the pathophysiology of autoimmunity. As selective immunotherapy may be of value in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases, the use of mast cell stabilising drugs or specific histamine H2 receptor antagonists should be evaluated in patients where conventional therapy has failed to reduce disease activity.

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  1. Department of Surgical Gastroenterology 235, Surgical Immunology Laboratory, Hvidovre University Hospital, Kettegaard Allé 30, DK-2650, Hvidovre, Denmark

    Hans Jørgen Nielsen

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Nielsen, H.J. Role of Histamine in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Disease. Clin. Immunother. 1, 250–257 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03259251

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