Histamine

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Histamine is a compound involved in local immune responses, regulates the gut, and acts as a neurotransmitter. Histamine is released by mast cells and excess histamine is involved in many of the symptoms of mast cell activation disorder.

Type of histamine receptors[edit | edit source]

Role of histamine in the body[edit | edit source]

Histamine stimulates inflammation by increasing blood flow to a site of infection or the region surrounding allergens, so your immune can engulf the foreign particle. It does this by causing the release of nitric oxide, which in turn causes vasodilation.[citation needed]

Modulating histamine levels[edit | edit source]

Histamine is broken down by an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO), which is found mainly in the gastrointestinal tract and in pregnant women, the placenta. Nutritional deficiencies in Vitamin C, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and copper – all DAO cofactors – can decrease DAO activity.

Vitamin C reduces blood histamine levels,[1][2][3] potentially through several mechanisms: by inhibiting mast cell production; by increasing diamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down histamine); by inhibiting mast cell degranulation (and the release of histamine in the first place),[4] and by inhibiting histidine decarboxylase (the enzyme that forms histamine).[5]

Manganese and zinc can also prevent the release of histamine from mast cells.

Histamine intolerance[edit | edit source]

Histamine intolerance can be a sign of mast cell activation disorder.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Clemetson, C. A. (April 1980), "Histamine and ascorbic acid in human blood", The Journal of Nutrition, 110 (4): 662–668, ISSN 0022-3166, PMID 7365537
  2. Johnston, C. S.; Martin, L. J.; Cai, X. (April 1992), "Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis", Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 11 (2): 172–176, ISSN 0731-5724, PMID 1578094
  3. Johnston, CS (December 1996). "Vitamin C depletion is associated with alterations in blood histamine and plasma free carnitine in adults". J Am Coll Nutr.
  4. Mio, M (1999). "Ultraviolet B (UVB) light-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells and its augmentation by certain phenothiazine compounds". Immunopharmacology.
  5. Molderings, Gerhard (2016). "Pharmacological treatment options for mast cell activation disease". Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol.