Histamine N-methyltransferase Inhibitor Research Articles

Pharmacological inhibition of histamine N-methyltransferase extends wakefulness and suppresses cataplexy in a mouse model of narcolepsy.

Histamine, a neurotransmitter, plays a predominant role in maintaining wakefulness. Further, our previous studies showed that histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), a histamine-metabolising enzyme, is important for regulating brain histamine concentration. However, the effects of pharmacological HNMT inhibition on mouse behaviour, including the sleep-wake cycle and cataplexy, in a mouse model of narcolepsy have not yet been investigated. In the present study, we investigated the effects of metoprine, an HNMT inhibitor with high blood-brain barrier permeability, in wild-type (WT) and orexin-deficient (OxKO) narcoleptic mice. Metoprine increased brain histamine concentration in a time- and dose-dependent manner without affecting peripheral histamine concentrations. Behavioural tests showed that metoprine increased locomotor activity in both novel and familiar environments, but did not alter anxiety-like behaviour. Sleep analysis showed that metoprine increased wakefulness and decreased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep through the activation of the histamine H1 receptor (H1R) in WT mice. In contrast, the reduction of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep by metoprine occurred independent of H1R. In OxKO mice, metoprine was found to prolong wakefulness and robustly suppress cataplexy. In addition, metoprine has a greater therapeutic effect on cataplexy than pitolisant, which induces histamine release in the brain, and has been approved for patients with narcolepsy. These data demonstrate that HNMT inhibition has a strong effect on wakefulness, demonstrating therapeutic potential against cataplexy in narcolepsy.

Brain histamine improves colonic hyperpermeability through the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, adenosine A2B receptors and vagus nerve in rats

Intestinal barrier dysfunction, leaky gut, is implicated in various diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Our recent investigation revealed that basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs), critical for cognitive function, receive signals from butyrate and orexin, playing a role in regulating intestinal barrier function through adenosine A2B signaling and the vagus. This study explores the involvement and function of brain histamine, linked to BFCNs, in the regulation of intestinal barrier function. Colonic permeability, assessed by quantifying absorbed Evans blue in rat colonic tissue, showed that histamine did not affect increased colonic permeability induced by LPS when administered subcutaneously. However, intracisternal histamine administration improved colonic hyperpermeability. Elevating endogenous histamine levels in the brain with SKF91488, a histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor, also improved colonic hyperpermeability. This effect was abolished by intracisternal chlorpheniramine, an histamine H1 receptor antagonist, not ranitidine, an H2 receptor antagonist. The SKF91488-induced improvement in colonic hyperpermeability was blocked by vagotomy, intracisternal pirenzepine (suppressing BFCNs activity), or alloxazine (an adenosine A2B receptor antagonist). Additionally, intracisternal chlorpheniramine injection eliminated butyrate-induced improvement in colonic hyperpermeability. These findings suggest that brain histamine, acting via the histamine H1 receptor, regulates intestinal barrier function involving BFCNs, adenosine A2B signaling, and the vagus. Brain histamine appears to centrally regulate intestinal barrier function influenced by butyrate, differentiating its actions from peripheral histamine in conditions like IBS, where mast cell-derived histamine induces leaky gut. Brain histamine emerges as a potential pharmacological target for diseases associated with leaky gut, such as dementia and IBS.

Dihydroergotamine Increases Histamine Brain Levels and Improves Memory in a Scopolamine-Induced Amnesia Model.

The beneficial effects of increasing histamine levels on memory have acquired special interest due to their applicability to psychiatric conditions that cause memory impairments. In addition, by employing drug repurposing approaches, it was demonstrated that dihydroergotamine (DHE), an FDA drug approved to treat migraines, inhibits Histamine N Methyl Transferase (HNMT), the enzyme responsible for the inactivation of histamine in the brain. For this reason, in the present work, the effect of DHE on histamine levels in the hippocampus and its effects on memory was evaluated, employing the scopolamine-induced amnesia model, the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) paradigm, and the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Furthermore, the role of histamine 1 receptor (H1R) and histamine 2 receptor (H2R) antagonists in the improvement in memory produced by DHE in the scopolamine-induced amnesia model was evaluated. Results showed that the rats that received DHE (10 mg/kg, i.p.) showed increased histamine levels in the hippocampus after 1 h of administration but not after 5 h. In behavioral assays, it was shown that DHE (1 mg/kg, i.p.) administered 20 min before the training reversed the memory impairment produced by the administration of scopolamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) immediately after the training in the NOR paradigm and MWM. Additionally, the effects in memory produced by DHE were blocked by pre-treatment with pyrilamine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) administered 30 min before the training in the NOR paradigm and MWM. These findings allow us to demonstrate that DHE improves memory in a scopolamine-induced amnesia model through increasing histamine levels at the hippocampus due to its activity as an HNMT inhibitor.

Drug Repurposing to Inhibit Histamine N-Methyl Transferase.

Lower activity of the histaminergic system is associated with neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, the enhancement of histaminergic neurotransmission by inhibition of histamine N-methyl transferase (HNMT), which degrades histamine, appears as an important approach. For this purpose, rigid and flexible molecular docking studies of 185 FDA-approved drugs with the HNMT enzyme were carried out to select two compounds to perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to evaluate the binding free energies and stability of the enzyme-drug complexes. Finally, an HNMT inhibition assay was performed to corroborate their effect towards HNMT. Molecular docking studies with HNMT allowed the selection of dihydroergotamine and vilazodone since these molecules showed the lowest Gibbs free energy values. Analysis of the binding mode of vilazodone showed interactions with the binding pocket of HNMT with Glu28, Gln143, and Asn283. In contrast, dihydroergotamine binds to the HNMT active site in a different location, apparently because it is overall the more rigid ligand compared to flexible vilazodone. HNMT inhibitory activity for dihydroergotamine and vilazodone was corroborated (IC50 = 72.89 μM and 45.01 μM, respectively) by in vitro assays. Drug repurposing of HNMT was achieved by employing computational studies.

Diamine oxidase knockout mice are not hypersensitive to orally or subcutaneously administered histamine

ObjectiveTo evaluate the contribution of endogenous diamine oxidase (DAO) in the inactivation of exogenous histamine, to find a mouse strain with increased histamine sensitivity and to test the efficacy of rhDAO in a histamine challenge model.MethodsDiamine oxidase knockout (KO) mice were challenged with orally and subcutaneously administered histamine in combination with the β-adrenergic blocker propranolol, with the two histamine-N-methyltransferase (HNMT) inhibitors metoprine and tacrine, with folic acid to mimic acute kidney injury and treated with recombinant human DAO. Core body temperature was measured using a subcutaneously implanted microchip and histamine plasma levels were quantified using a homogeneous time resolved fluorescence assay.ResultsCore body temperature and plasma histamine levels were not significantly different between wild type (WT) and DAO KO mice after oral and subcutaneous histamine challenge with and without acute kidney injury or administration of HNMT inhibitors. Treatment with recombinant human DAO reduced the mean area under the curve (AUC) for core body temperature loss by 63% (p = 0.002) and the clinical score by 88% (p < 0.001). The AUC of the histamine concentration was reduced by 81%.ConclusionsInactivation of exogenous histamine is not driven by enzymatic degradation and kidney filtration. Treatment with recombinant human DAO strongly reduced histamine-induced core body temperature loss, histamine concentrations and prevented the development of severe clinical symptoms.

Development of a Transdermal Delivery System for Tacrine

Tacrine has several mechanisms of action. The putative primary mechanism of action of tacrine for Alzheimer's disease is reversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which thus slows the breakdown of the chemical messenger acetylcholine (ACh) in the brain. Tacrine also inhibits butyrylcholinesterase activity. In accumulation, tacrine blocks sodium and potassium channels. Tacrine also acts as a histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor. This study was carried out to develop matrix based transdermal patches containing Tacrine to overcome the first pass metabolism and to reduce frequency of dosing compared to oral route. . Matrix type of transdermal patches was developed by using Methocel K4M, Methocel K15M, Methocel K100M and Xanthan gum polymers. Transdermal patches were prepared by employing solvent casting method. Drug excipients compatibility studies were carried out by using FTIR, and it was observed that there were no interactions. Formulations were prepared with the varying concentrations polymers ranging from F1-F16, and all the formulations were evaluated for various physical parameters Physical appearance, Flatness, Weight variation, Thickness, Folding endurance, Drug content, Moisture uptake, Moisture content and Swelling study and all the results were found to be within the pharmacopeial limits, invitro drug release studies by using dialysis membrane. Among all the 16 Tacrine transdermal patches formulations F5 formulations which contain Methocel K15M 100 mg had shown 97.61% % cumulative drug release within 12 hours.

Inhibition of Astrocytic Histamine N-Methyltransferase as a Possible Target for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents the principal cause of dementia among the elderly. Great efforts have been established to understand the physiopathology of AD. Changes in neurotransmitter systems in patients with AD, including cholinergic, GABAergic, serotoninergic, noradrenergic, and histaminergic changes have been reported. Interestingly, changes in the histaminergic system have been related to cognitive impairment in AD patients. The principal pathological changes in the brains of AD patients, related to the histaminergic system, are neurofibrillary degeneration of the tuberomammillary nucleus, the main source of histamine in the brain, low histamine levels, and altered signaling of its receptors. The increase of histamine levels can be achieved by inhibiting its degrading enzyme, histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), a cytoplasmatic enzyme located in astrocytes. Thus, increasing histamine levels could be employed in AD patients as co-therapy due to their effects on cognitive functions, neuroplasticity, neuronal survival, neurogenesis, and the degradation of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. In this sense, the evaluation of the impact of HNMT inhibitors on animal models of AD would be interesting, consequently highlighting its relevance.

Metoprine, a histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor, attenuates methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion via activation of histaminergic neurotransmission in mice

Metoprine increases the content of histamine in brain by inhibiting histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT), a centrally acting histamine degrading enzyme. We present data demonstrating that pretreatment with metoprine attenuates the hyperlocomotive effects of METH in mice using a multi-configuration behavior apparatus designed to monitor four behavioral outcomes [horizontal locomotion, appetitive behavior (food access), and food and water intake]. Metoprine pretreatment itself induced hyperlocomotion in mice challenged with saline during the large part of light phase. The trend was also observed during the following dark phase. This is the first report that metoprine has a long-lasting locomotor stimulating property. Similarly, in a tail suspension test, a single injection of metoprine significantly reduced total time of immobility in mice, consistent with the idea that metoprine possesses motor stimulating properties. Metoprine pretreatment did not affect other aspects of behavior. Metoprine did not affect the appetitive and drinking behavior while exerted an effect on stereotypy. No stereotyped behavior was observed in mice pretreated with vehicle followed by METH, while stereotyped sniffing was observed in mice pretreated with metoprine followed by METH. The metoprine pretreatment attenuated METH-induced hyperlocomotion during the first 2 h of light phase, suggesting that metoprine-induced locomotor stimulating property might be different from that of METH. The hypothalamic content of histamine (but not its brain metabolite) was increased after metoprine or METH administration. Both METH and metoprine reduced dopamine and histamine turnover in the striatum and the nucleus accumbens and the hypothalamus, respectively, and there is a significant metoprine pretreatment x METH challenge interaction in the histamine turnover. It is likely that metoprine may attenuate METH-induced hyperlocomotion via activation of histaminergic neurotransmission. Metoprine also might induce a long-lasting locomotor stimulating effect via a putative mechanism different from that whereby METH induces the locomotor stimulating effect.

Development of Histamine N-methyltransferase Inhibitors for Brain Disorders

Development of Histamine N-methyltransferase Inhibitors for Brain Disorders

Histamine N-Methyltransferase in the Brain

Brain histamine is a neurotransmitter and regulates diverse physiological functions. Previous studies have shown the involvement of histamine depletion in several neurological disorders, indicating the importance of drug development targeting the brain histamine system. Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) is a histamine-metabolising enzyme expressed in the brain. Although pharmacological studies using HNMT inhibitors have been conducted to reveal the direct involvement of HNMT in brain functions, HNMT inhibitors with high specificity and sufficient blood–brain barrier permeability have not been available until now. Recently, we have phenotyped Hnmt-deficient mice to elucidate the importance of HNMT in the central nervous system. Hnmt disruption resulted in a robust increase in brain histamine concentration, demonstrating the essential role of HNMT in the brain histamine system. Clinical studies have suggested that single nucleotide polymorphisms of the human HNMT gene are associated with several brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Postmortem studies also have indicated that HNMT expression is altered in human brain diseases. These findings emphasise that an increase in brain histamine levels by novel HNMT inhibitors could contribute to the improvement of brain disorders.

Reduction of Motion Sickness Through Targeting Histamine N-Methyltransferase in the Dorsal Vagal Complex of the Brain.

To investigate the role of histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) activity in the development of motion sickness (MS) in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) to inform the development of new drugs for MS, Beagle dogs and Sprague-Dawley rats were rotated to simulate MS. HNMT expression in the brain stem and DVC was measured. The effects of systemic application of tacrine, an HNMT inhibitor, on the development of MS were observed. Moreover, we microinjected a histamine receptor H1 inhibitor, promethazine, into the DVC to verify the involvement of histaminergic neurotransmission in MS. Finally, lentiviral vectors were microinjected into the DVC to determine the effects of altered HNMT expression on MS. We found the following: 1) HNMT expression in the medulla oblongata of dogs and rats insusceptible to MS was higher than in susceptible animals; 2) tacrine dose-dependently promoted MS in both animals and raised histamine level in rat medulla oblongata; 3) blocking histaminergic neurotransmission in the DVC with promethazine inhibited MS; 4) rotatory stimulus induced an elevation in HNMT expression, and vestibular training elevated the basal level of HNMT in the DVC during habituation to MS; 5) in vivo transfection of a lentiviral vector packaged with the HNMT gene increased HNMT expression in the DVC and reduced MS; and 6) microinjection of a lentiviral vector driving the interference of HNMT gene expression in vivo significantly inhibited HNMT expression in the DVC and exacerbated MS. In conclusion, HNMT expression in the brain stem is inversely correlated with MS development. Increasing HNMT expression or stimulating its activity in the DVC could inhibit MS.

How the histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor metoprine alleviates methamphetamine reward

Several agents that activate brain histaminergic neurotransmission have been reported to improve methamphetamine (METH)-induced behavioral aberrations. In this review, we present research demonstrating that pretreatment with metoprine, a selective inhibitor of histamine

Brain Histamine N-Methyltransferase As a Possible Target of Treatment for Methamphetamine Overdose.

Stereotypical behaviors induced by methamphetamine (METH) overdose are one of the overt symptoms of METH abuse, which can be easily assessed in animal models. Currently, there is no successful treatment for METH overdose. There is increasing evidence that elevated levels of brain histamine can attenuate METH-induced behavioral abnormalities, which might therefore constitute a novel therapeutic treatment for METH abuse and METH overdose. In mammals, histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT) is the sole enzyme responsible for degrading histamine in the brain. Metoprine, one of the most potent HMT inhibitors, can cross the blood–brain barrier and increase brain histamine levels by inhibiting HMT. Consequently, this compound can be a candidate for a prototype of drugs for the treatment of METH overdose.

Histamine infused into basolateral amygdala enhances memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance

The role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the consolidation of aversive memory is well established. Here we investigate the involvement of the histaminergic system in BLA on this variable. Rats were chronically implanted with bilateral cannulae in the BLA and after recovery were trained in a one-trial step-down inhibitory avoidance task. Immediately after training histaminergic compounds either alone or in combination were infused through the cannulae. Memory was assessed in test sessions carried out 24 h after the training session. Post-training histamine (1-10 nmol; 0.5 μl/side) enhanced consolidation and the histamine H₃ receptor antagonist thioperamide (50 nmol; 0.5 μl/side) impaired memory consolidation. The effect was shared by the histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor SKF-91844 (50 nmol; 0.5 μl/side) as well as by the H₃ receptor agonist imetit (10 nmol; 0.5 μl/side). The promnesic action of histamine was unaffected by the H₁ receptor antagonist pyrilamine (50 nmol; 0.5 μl/side). The H1 receptor agonist pyridylethylamine (10 nmol; 0.5 μl/side), the H₂ agonist dimaprit (10 nmol; 0.5 μl/side) and the H₂ antagonist ranitidine (50 nmol; 0.5 μl/side) were ineffective. Histaminergic compounds infused into the BLA had no effect on open-field or elevated plus-maze behaviour. The data show that histamine induces a dose-dependent mnemonic effect in rats and indicate that this reflects a role of endogenous histamine in the BLA mediated by H₃ receptors.

Influence of iodinated contrast media on the activities of histamine inactivating enzymes diamine oxidase and histamine N-methyltransferase in vitro

BackgroundIodinated contrast media can cause pseudoallergic reactions associated with histamine release in significant numbers of patients. To clarify whether these adverse reactions may be aggravated by a compromised histamine catabolism we asked if radiographic contrast agents in vitro inhibit the histamine inactivating enzymes diamine oxidase (DAO) and histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT). MethodsNine iodinated contrast agents were tested in vitro. Following pre-incubation of purified porcine kidney DAO and recombinant human HMT with 0.1–10mM of the respective contrast medium (H2O and specific inhibitors of DAO and HMT as controls) enzyme activities were determined by using radiometric micro assays. ResultsNone of the contrast media irrespective of their structure showed significant inhibition of the activities of DAO and HMT. Pre-incubation of the enzymes with specific inhibitors led to complete inhibition of the respective enzymatic activity. ConclusionsThe iodinated contrast media tested in vitro did not exhibit inhibition of histamine converting enzymes at physiologically relevant concentrations. However due to the in vitro character of this study these results do not directly reflect the in vivo situation.

Metoprine induced behavioral modifications and brain regional histamine increase in WAG/Rij and Wistar rats

The effects of metoprine, an inhibitor of histamine N-methyltransferase, on open field activity and brain regional histamine (HA) content were examined in rats with mixed, absence and audiogenic, epilepsy (WAG/Rij-AGS), rats with audiogenic epilepsy (Wistar-AGS) and in non-epileptic control rats (Wistar-nAGS). HA content was increased by metoprine (20mg/kg, i.p.) in the cortex, striatum, thalamus, hypothalamus and hippocampus of the rats from all three tested groups. However, WAG/Rij rats showed a lower rate of metoprine-induced HA accumulation in the striatum and thalamus than Wistar rats. For the open field test, the main effect of metoprine (20mg/kg, i.p.) was a general increase of locomotor activity although distinctive features, such as hyperlocomotion and exaggerated sniffing, were characteristic for the epileptic rats (WAG/Rij-AGS and Wistar-AGS, respectively). Individual rats from all the groups showed stereotyped behavior of shuttle type and head bobbing. Electroencephalographic data obtained in WAG/Rij-AGS rats confirmed that metoprine-induced behavioral activation was accompanied by suppression of spike-wave discharges, the main hallmark of absence seizures. Taken together, these results show that inhibition of the histamine catabolism may induce motor activation of particular patterns in epileptic rats and provoke stereotyped behavior.

Pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening and docking studies to identify novel HNMT inhibitors

Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) is the key enzyme responsible for inactivating histamine in bronchus, kidney, and the central nervous system of mammals. The inhibition of HNMT has therapeutically potential roles in neurodegenerative disease, memory and learning deficits and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. For better understanding the essential chemical features for HNMT inhibition and identifying novel inhibitors, a three-dimensional (3D) chemical-feature-based QSAR pharmacophore model for HNMT inhibitors was first time developed using Discovery Studio 2.5. The best model (Hypo1), which has the highest correlation coefficient (0.96), the highest cost difference (74.51) and the lowest RMS (0.73Å), consists two hydrophobic, one hydrophobic aromatic, one hydrogen bond acceptor and one hydrogen bond acceptor lipid. The reliability of Hypo1 was further validated using external test set, cost analysis, Fischer's randomization method and decoy data set. The validated Hypo1 was then used as a 3D search query for virtual screening to retrieve potential inhibitors from NCI database. Subsequently, the hit compounds were subjected to molecular docking studies with the crystal structure of HNMT. Finally, 10 hits were suggested as potential leads, which exhibited good estimated activities, favorable binding interactions, and high consensus scores. The obtained novel chemotype from this study may facilitate to discover a new scaffold for developing novel HNMT inhibitors.

Histamine facilitates consolidation of fear extinction

Non-reinforced retrieval induces memory extinction, a phenomenon characterized by a decrease in the intensity of the learned response. This attribute has been used to develop extinction-based therapies to treat anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders. Histamine modulates memory and anxiety but its role on fear extinction has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, using male Wistar rats, we determined the effect of the intra-hippocampal administration of different histaminergic agents on the extinction of step-down inhibitory avoidance (IA), a form of aversive learning. We found that intra-CA1 infusion of histamine immediately after non-reinforced retrieval facilitated consolidation of IA extinction in a dose-dependent manner. This facilitation was mimicked by the histamine N-methyltransferase inhibitor SKF91488 and the H2 receptor agonist dimaprit, reversed by the H2 receptor antagonist ranitidine, and unaffected by the H1 antagonist pyrilamine, the H3 antagonist thioperamide and the antagonist at the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) polyamine-binding site ifenprodil. Neither the H1 agonist 2-2-pyridylethylamine nor the NMDAR polyamine-binding site agonist spermidine affected the consolidation of extinction while the H3 receptor agonist imetit hampered it. Extinction induced the phosphorylation of ERK1 in dorsal CA1 while intra-CA1 infusion of the MEK inhibitor U0126 blocked extinction of the avoidance response. The extinction-induced phosphorylation of ERK1 was enhanced by histamine and dimaprit and blocked by ranitidine administered to dorsal CA1 after non-reinforced retrieval. Taken together, our data indicate that the hippocampal histaminergic system modulates the consolidation of fear extinction through a mechanism involving the H2-dependent activation of ERK signalling.

Influence of Magnetic Resonance Contrast Media on the Activity of Histamine Inactivating Enzymes

The observation that the intravenous application of gadolinium-based contrast media can lead to nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) has raised interest in their interactions with pathways. In this context, histamine is a focus because of its stimulating effect on fibrogenesis. In humans, histamine can be inactivated either by diamine oxidase (DAO) or by histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT), and numerous drugs are known to inhibit these enzymes. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to investigate whether magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents have an inhibitory effect on the enzymatic activities of DAO and HMT. Seven gadolinium-based (gadoterate meglumine, gadoteridol, gadobutrol, gadobenate dimeglumine, gadopentetate dimeglumine, gadoxetate disodium, gadodiamide) and one manganese-containing (mangafodipir) contrast agents were tested in vitro. Following the preincubation of purified DAO and HMT with 0.1 to 10 mmol/L of the respective contrast medium, enzyme activities were determined using radiometric microassays. Enzyme activities measured in the absence of contrast agents and after preincubation with specific inhibitors of DAO and HMT, respectively, served as controls. The gadolinium-containing and manganese-containing contrast media tested did not show significant inhibition of the activities of DAO and HMT. No significant difference was observed between ionic and nonionic or between cyclic and linear gadolinium compounds. Preincubation of the enzymes with specific inhibitors led to complete inhibition of the respective enzymatic activity. The gadolinium-containing and manganese-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast media tested did not exhibit significant inhibition of histamine-inactivating enzymes at physiologically relevant concentrations.

Blockade of brain histamine metabolism alters methamphetamine-induced expression pattern of stereotypy in mice via histamine H 1 receptors

The administration of methamphetamine (METH, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) to male ICR mice induced stereotyped behavior consisting of nail and/or wood chip biting (86.0%), continuous sniffing (12.0%), head bobbing (1.1%), and circling (1.0%) during the observation period of 1 h. Pretreatment of the mice with metoprine (2, 10, and 20 mg/kg, i.p.), a selective inhibitor of histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT), which metabolizes histamine in the brain, significantly increased and decreased METH-induced continuous sniffing (20.5, 51.3, and 80.3%) and nail and/or wood chip biting (77.4, 45.3, and 14.2%), respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. The hypothalamic contents of histamine and its metabolite N τ-methylhistamine were significantly increased and decreased by metoprine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively. The metoprine action on METH-induced behavior was completely abolished by pyrilamine (10 and 20 mg/kg) and ketotifen (10 mg/kg), selective, centrally acting histamine H 1 receptor antagonists, but not by fexofenadine (20 mg/kg), zolantidine (10 mg/kg) and thioperamide (10 mg/kg), a peripherally acting histamine H 1 receptor antagonist and a selective, brain-penetrating antagonist for histamine H 2 and H 3 receptors, respectively. The metoprine action was mimicked by SKF 91488 (100 μg/animal, i.c.v.), another HMT inhibitor, and the action of SKF 91488 was also blocked by pyrilamine. The frequency of the expression of METH-induced total stereotypic patterns was unchanged after metoprine pretreatment. Mice pretreated with metoprine displayed no anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze test. These results suggest that brain histamine, increased by agents such as metoprine and SKF 91488, binds to histamine H 1 receptors in the brain, resulting in the modulation of dopaminergic transmission associated with stereotyped behavioral patterns induced by METH.