Nonimmunological release of histamine from rat mast cells elicited by antineoplastic agents: effect of drug combinations.

We studied the release of histamine elicited by some antineoplastic drugs in rat pleural and peritoneal mast cells. The drugs tested included the antibiotic mitomycin; the anthracyclines daunorubicin, doxorubicin, and epirubicin; the glycopeptide bleomycin; the chromopeptide dactinomycin; the platinum coordination complexes carboplatin and cisplatin; and the anthracenedione mitoxantrone. Mitomycin and bleomycin failed to elicit any release of histamine, whereas all of the other drugs induced histamine release from either pleural or peritoneal mast cells, the release being independent of extracellular calcium. The results indicate that antineoplastic drugs activate histamine release in a manner similar to that shown by compound 48/80, which may contribute to some of their secondary effects.