Blood histamine concentrations are not elevated in humans with septic shock

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Crit. Care Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00003246-198901000-00008· OSTI ID:6538113

Jacobs, R; Kaliner, M; Shelhamer, J H; Parrillo, J E

Histamine has been suggested as an important mediator of the cardiovascular abnormalities during septic shock. To determine if blood histamine levels were increased during human sepsis and septic shock, plasma histamine was measured using a very sensitive radioenzyme assay employing histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) in the following patient groups: normal controls (n = 76), nonseptic critically ill (n = 12), nonseptic shock (n = 2), sepsis without shock (n = 28), and septic shock (n = 41). Using this enzyme binding assay, all these groups had similar, normal plasma histamine concentrations, except those patients with septic shock whose mean histamine measurements were significantly reduced (p less than .002). This decrease was found to be due to an artifact of the assay: plasma contained a circulating inhibitor that falsely lowered the measured histamine level. Fractionation of septic shock plasma using molecular exclusion membranes and gel filtration revealed a 5000 MW inhibitory factor. After removal of this inhibitor from plasma, septic shock plasma histamine levels were normal. Thus, septic shock patients may have a circulating inhibitor of the HNMT enzyme, but plasma histamine concentrations are normal. Histaminemia is unlikely to play an important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock in humans.

• Research Organization: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6538113
• Journal Information: Crit. Care Med.; (United States), Vol. 17:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
HISTAMINE
BIOSYNTHESIS
SEPTICEMIA
PATHOGENESIS
BLOOD PLASMA
CHROMATOGRAPHY
ENZYME INHIBITORS
METHYL TRANSFERASES
RADIOENZYMATIC ASSAY
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
AMINES
AZOLES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BODY FLUIDS
ENZYMES
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IMIDAZOLES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
TRANSFERASES
550901* - Pathology- Tracer Techniques