EFFECT OF CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES AND DISODIUM-CROMOGLYCATE ON IGE-DEPENDENT HISTAMINE-RELEASE FROM MOUSE CULTURED MAST-CELLS

We examined the effect of anti-allergic Chinese herbal medicines such as Ma-Xing-Gan-Shi-Tang (MXGST) and Xiao-Feng-San (XFS), and a mast ce ll stabilizer, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) on histamine release from mouse cultured mast cells. The mast cells (ILMCMC) were obtained by cu lturing mouse bone marrow cells for 3-6 weeks in the presence of IL-3. Some of the cells (FMCMC) were further cultured with a fibroblast cel l line, 3T3 for 3 weeks. FMCMC had safranin-positive granules and rele ased histamine in response to compound 48/80, whereas ILMCMC failed to do so. MXGST and XFS at 4-40 mu g/ml inhibited IgE-dependent histamin e release from ILMCMC but not from FMCMC. On the contrary, DSCG at 10( -4) M inhibited histamine release From FMCMC but not from ILMCMC. Chin ese herbal medicines and DSCG may act on different types of mast cells . (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the Internat ional Society for Immunopharmacology.