Histamine is an organic compound that plays a major role in the development of allergies. Most allergic diseases are triggered by the interaction between an allergen and allergen-specific antibodies present in mast cells, multifunctional bone marrow-derived tissue-dwelling cells responsible for histamine production. This interaction leads to the degranulation of these cells, which provokes the release of many allergic and inflammatory biomarkers, including leukotrienes and histamine. Leukotrienes are inflammatory mediators produced in leukocytes from arachidonic acid by the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). For example, in asthma, both the release of cysteinyl leukotrienes and the release of histamine from degranulating mast cells are responsible for the narrowing of airways that happens during asthma attacks.

However, currently, there are no approved anti-asthma drugs that can simultaneously inhibit the biosynthesis of leukotrienes – by blocking the activity of the 5-LO enzyme – and mast cell degranulation. The only 5-LO inhibitor approved for the treatment of asthma, Zileuton, has limited efficacy which might be linked to its inability to affect mast cell degranulation.

In this application note, discover how the Bertin Bioreagent Histamine ELISA kit was used to measure the histamine content in the lung lavage fluid of mice, as an indicator of mast cell degranulation.

Read the application note