Effect of triphenyltin chloride on the release of histamine from mast cells.

The effects of triphenyltin chloride (TPTC) on the release of histamine from rat and mouse mast cells in vitro and in vivo were investigated. The results obtained are summarized as follows: (a) At doses between 1 and 3 mg/kg, TPTC inhibited the dye leakage due to passive cutaneous anaphylaxis mediated by IgE antibody in mouse ear. At the same doses, TPTC inhibited the swelling due to reversed cutaneous anaphylaxis mediated by IgG antibody in rat. However, TPTC did not affect dye leakage due to histamine, serotonin, and LTC4 in rat skin; (b) Histamine release by antigen and IgE antibody in rat peritoneal cavity was inhibited by the administration of TPTC at doses between 0.3 and 3 mg/kg; (c) Histamine release by calcium ionophore A 23187 from purified rat peritoneal mast cells in vitro was inhibited by TPTC at concentrations between 10(-7) and 10(-6) M. At the same concentration, TPTC, itself, caused neither the release of histamine nor any change in cell viability which was supported by the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from purified rat peritoneal mast cells. All this evidence suggests that TPTC has an inhibitory effect on the release of histamine from mast cells without direct cytotoxicity.