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Effects of prolonged exposure to histamine on guinea pig intestinal neurons

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Abstract

Intracellular microelectrodes were used to study the effects of prolonged exposure to histamine on the electrophysiological behavior of AH/type-2 neurons in the myenteric plexus of the guinea pig small intestine. Application of histamine activated H2 receptors to convert the neurons to a heightened state of excitability. Heightened excitability was evident as repetitive spike discharge made possible, in part, by suppression of postspike after-hyperpolarization. The hyperexcitable state persisted unchanged for prolonged periods, of 4.5 hr in the continued presence of histamine, suggesting that desensitization may never occurin vivo. The results are interpreted as a neural correlate for the pathophysiology associated with microscopic colitis and other inflammatory conditions involving mast cell hyperplasia.

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Tamura, K., Wood, J.D. Effects of prolonged exposure to histamine on guinea pig intestinal neurons. Digest Dis Sci 37, 1084–1088 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01300291

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01300291

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