Much is now known which suggests a labile relationship of the histamine of the skin and skeletal muscle in vivo to diverse histamine-releasing agents (MacIntosh & Paton, 1949;Paton, 1951;Feldberg & Paton, 1951;Schachter, 1952). On the other hand, Smith (1953), using acid secretion in cats as a measure of the extent of histamine release by compound 48/80, came to the conclusion that only a small fraction of the histamine of the alimentary tract could be released by this synthetic histamine-releasing agent, even when doses greatly in excess of those effecting thorough release of histamine in skin and muscle were used. Observations of the effect of compound 48/80 on the histamine content of the alimentary tract and other viscera, skin and skeletal muscle of the cat are now described. It was found that the histamine of the skin was most susceptible to the action of 48/80; reductions were also observed in skeletal muscle, lungs and gastro-intestinal tract, principally in the corpus region of the stomach. Control experiments were made in which histamine was administered in such a way as to produce prolonged effects, because intense secretory activity, consequent on the entry of large amounts of histamine into the general circulation, might have been responsible for the diminution in histamine content of the stomach associated with prolonged treatment with 48/80.
METHODSCats, 2-4 kg in weight, were used thoughout and, unless otherwise stated, were anaesthetized with chloralose after ethyl chloride and ether induction, followed by tracheotomy. In all experiments involving estimation of acid secretory activity, the right carotid artery was cannulated for the recording ofblood pressure; dextran was used to resuscitate animals with profound hypotension.Intravenous injections were made through a cannula inserted into the right femoral vein, intravenous infusions being administered by attaching this to a burette with a limited air intake at its upper end (devised by means of inserting capillary glass tubing through a rubber bung) so that a constant rate of infusion could be guaranteed. Intra-arterial injections into the coeliac artery were made via a cannula inserted into the hepatic artery and guarded by an adaptor with 518 A. N. SMITH a two-way stop-cock fitting. Intra-arterial injections into the superior mesenteric and femoral arteries were made by direct puncture of suitable side branches.Blood samples were obtained as follows: arterial samples were received into a test-tube directly from the severed right femoral artery, heparinized with 0-02 ml. heparin per ml. blood and centrifuged at 2000 rev/min for 5 min. Venous blood was obtained by puncture of the external jugular veins and treated likewise.Several tissues were examined for this histamine content. Duodenal tissue was excised just proximal to the ampulla of Vater, ileum was taken 5 cm from the ileocaecal valve, and colonic tissue at the mid part of the large bowel. The stomach, secured at cardia and pylorus with ligatures, was removed, washed and examined, if nec...