On the interaction of local anesthetics with mast cells.

The carbanilate local anesthetics carbisocaine, hepatacaine and pentacaine liberate histamine from isolated rat mast cells. Procaine, carticaine, trimecaine, cocaine and butanilicaine were ineffective. Histamine liberation was dose-dependent, followed by calcium displacement from membrane binding sites and occurred without concomitant degranulation. Low temperature and pH-dependent inhibition of histamine liberation indicated a non-specific, membrane perturbing effect of highly liposoluble carbanilate local anesthetics. Conformational changes in the sodium channel on the mast cell membrane induced by carbanilate anesthetics might result in histamine exchange occurring intracellularly.