INFLUENCE OF ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE ON ISOLATED RAT PERITONEAL MAST CELLS

The ability of a number of metabolic phosphate esters to induce histamine release from isolated rat peritoneal mast cells was investigated. Only ATP was found to be effective and in addition to histamine release it was found to induce sodium uptake into the cclls. Ca++- and Mg++- ions were shown to have opposite influences on the two processes. An ‘ecto-ATP-ase’ in the mast cell membrane is believed to be involved in both processes and some characteristics of this enzyme are presented. 11 is concluded that the mechanism of histamine release induced by extracellular ATP differs from that induced by degranulating agents, like compound 48 80, in regard to the time course of the release processes as well as to tin- observed morphological changes in the mast cells. © 1969 S. Karger AG, Basel.