The role of histamine H1 receptors in the thermoregulatory effect of morphine in mice.

Morphine is known to release histamine from mast cells and increase the turnover of neuronal histamine. It is also known that histamine receptors mediate some of the morphine effects. The contribution of histamine H1 and H2 receptors to the thermoregulatory effect of morphine in mice was investigated in the present experiments. Morphine produced a hypothermic effect, especially at the dose of 10 mg/kg. Although the histamine H1 receptor antagonist, dimethindene (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), attenuated the hypothermic effect of morphine (10 mg/kg), a histamine H2 receptor antagonist, ranitidine (100 mg/kg, i.p.), had no effect. These results suggest that the hypothermic effect of morphine in mice is mediated, at least partly, through histamine H1 receptors.