Tissue distribution of histamine in a mutant mouse deficient in mast cells: clear evidence for the presence of non-mast-cell histamine.

The contents of histamine in various tissues of mutant mice deficient in mast cells (W/Wv) and in congenic normal mice (+/+) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and were compared. In spite of the absence of mast cells in W/Wv mice, the histamine content of their whole bodies was about 5-10% of that of +/+ mice. The skin, heart and lungs of W/Wv mice contained negligible amounts of histamine (about 2% of that in +/+ mice), but the liver, kidneys and spleen contained appreciable histamine (8-15% of that in +/+ mice), and the brain and stomach contained much histamine (45 and 34%, respectively, of that in +/+ mice). These results indicate the presence of non-mast-cell histamine, especially in the brain and stomach, where it may play important physiological roles.