Decrease in histamine turnover in the brain of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Histamine (HA) turnover rate in the brain of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was determined by the accumulation of telemethylhistamine after pargyline treatment. The values in these SHR were lower than in the Wistar Kyoto rats, particularly in the hypothalamus and brainstem. However, chronic treatment with L-histidine had no effect on the development of hypertension in the SHR. The functional significance of the decreased HA turnover in SHR is discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of hypertension.