K. Rydzynski et H. Dalen, EFFECT OF SODIUM-BUTYRATE TREATMENT ON THE GRANULE MORPHOLOGY, HISTAMINE LEVEL AND ELEMENTAL CONTENT OF THE BONE-MARROW-DERIVED MAST-CELL, Folia histochemica et cytobiologica, 32(1), 1994, pp. 11-15
Mast cells derived from the bone marrow of BALB/c mice (BMMC) were cul
tured and their growth ceased with sodium butyrate. Sodium butyrate tr
eatment (1mM, 4 days) caused maturation of the granules, and increased
histamine content from approx. 1 pg/cell to 4 pg/cell. X-ray microana
lysis revealed that maturation of the granules was accompanied by the
increase in relative weight percent of sodium, phosphorus and sulphur,
with concomitant decrease in chloride. The sulphur to potassium ratio
increased three-fold in butyrate-treated mast cells. The existence of
a different elemental composition during mast cell maturation may pro
vide additional parameter for rapid discrimination of mast cell subpop
ulations.