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Secretory Pathways in Histamine-Containing Enterochromaffin-Like Cells of Rat Stomach

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Biochemical Pharmacology as an Approach to Gastrointestinal Disorders

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Abstract

Histamine-producing enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells are numerous in the oxyntic mucosa of the rat stomach. They respond to gastrin by secretory activation, hypertrophy and hyperplasia. They contain cytoplasmic granules and vesicles. The present study addresses the questions of how histamine is stored in the ECL cells and how it is released upon stimulation with gastrin. α-Fluoromethylhistidine (α-FMH) was given to the adult rats to deplete histamine from the ECL cells by inhibiting the histamine-forming enzyme, histidine decarboxylase. Gastrin-17 infusion or omeprazole treatment was used to induce hypergastrinaemia. ECL cell profiles (electron micrographs) were analysed planimetrically. Based on ultrastructural observations, we characterized the secretory organelles in the ECL cells and classified them into granules (median profile diameter 120 nm), secretory vesicles (180 nm), micro-vesicles (70 nm), and vacuoles (more than 500 nm). The granules were unaffected by α-FMH and by acute gastrin stimulation. The secretory vesicles were reduced in number by α-FMH as well as by hypergastrinaemia. The microvesicles were increased in number in response to gastrin. Vacuoles were observed in response to long-term hypergastrinaemia; α-FMH prevented their formation. The findings support the view that histamine is stored in secretory vesicles and vacuoles and that granules develop into secretory vesicles by actively taking up preformed histamine from the cytoplasm. Gastrin accelerates several of the steps that control the birth and subsequent maturation of the storage/secretory organelles, namely the formation of granules, their transformation into secretory vesicles, the process of exocytosis and endocytosis (resulting in microvesicles), and the fusion of several secretory vesicles with each other (resulting in vacuoles).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Lund, S-223 62, Lund, Sweden

    D. Chen, C.-M. Zhao, K. Andersson & R. Håkanson

Authors
  1. D. Chen
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  2. C.-M. Zhao
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  3. K. Andersson
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  4. R. Håkanson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Timothy S. Gaginella

  2. First Department of Medicine, University Medical School of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    Gyula Mózsik

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    K. D. Rainsford

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Chen, D., Zhao, CM., Andersson, K., Håkanson, R. (1997). Secretory Pathways in Histamine-Containing Enterochromaffin-Like Cells of Rat Stomach. In: Gaginella, T.S., Mózsik, G., Rainsford, K.D. (eds) Biochemical Pharmacology as an Approach to Gastrointestinal Disorders. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5390-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5390-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6267-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5390-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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