Comparative Studies of Histamine Release and Potassium Efflux From Human Leukocytes.

Summary Simultaneous studies of anaphylactic and cytotoxic reactions have been carried out with aliquots of the same population of human leukocytes. The two phenomena have been shown to differ in the following respects. The anaphylactic reaction proceeds in the absence of added serum factors, and the release of histamine is not accompanied by the loss of intracellular potassium. In contrast, the cytotoxic process requires the presence of fresh serum and leads to a rapid efflux of intracellular potassium. Loss of this cation may be followed by a release of histamine, at elevated antibody levels. Possible limitations in the interpretation of the potassium release findings have been discussed.