BASOPHILIC CELLS IN ALLERGIC SECRETION : Part IV. Histamine Release of Nasal Lavage Cells and Blood Leukocytes

Abstract

In nasal allergy, basophilic cells apperar in nasal secretion. When investigating the mechanism of nasal allergy, it is important to know whether these cells release histamine by contacting the specific antigen. We studied the percent histamine release of nasal lavage cells and blood leukocytes in 10 patients and reviewed the degranulation of nasal lavage cells in 5 patients. Our results showed that the amount of histamine released from nasal lavage cells and blood leukocytes by contacting the specific antigen significantly increased, compared to the control. The degranulation rate of basophilic cells in nasal lavage by the specific antigen was higher than in the control.