Inhibition of Anaphylactic Histamine Release by 2-Deoxyglucose

Abstract

THE inhibition of anaphylactic histamine release by lack of oxygen1–3 suggested the possibility that the metabolism of glucose by the oxidative pathway might be involved in the process. However, glucose itself caused no stimulation of histamine release in my experiments4, although such stimulation has been reported by others5,6. It is possible that the stimulant effect of glucose is observed only when the tissue is depleted of endogenous substrate during its preparation. It should then be possible to inhibit histamine release even in the presence of endogenous substrate with 2-deoxyglucose, which blocks glucose utilization beyond glucose-6-phosphate stage7. Moreover, it has been shown that the inhibition of histamine release by anoxia can be partially reversed by glucose6,8. If this reversal depends on the glycolytic breakdown of glucose, 2-deoxyglucose would be expected to block it. In the present investigation, therefore, the effect of 2-deoxyglucose on anaphylactic histamine release was studied both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.