Histamine release from mast cells by polyamines: an NMDA receptor-mediated event?

In recent years it has become apparent that the role of the mast cell is not confined to immediate hypersensitivity reactions and that the cell may participate in a range of nonIgE mediated processes. The natural polyamines induce histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMC) in a concentrationand energy-dependent process with a rank order of potency of spermine > spermidine > putrescine [ l l ; compound 48/80, a synthetic polyamine, is regarded as a classic mast cell secretagogue 111. However, the mechanism by which these agents trigger secretion in this system remains to be elucidated. It has been variously suggested that they interact with mast cells via direct stimulation of G-proteins 111 or with ill-defined polyamine 'receptors' [21. We have explored the possibility that spermine triggers histamine release from RPMC via interaction with a polyamine site associated with the NMDA receptor complex.