Role of plasma histamine in liver injury--clinical and experimental investigations.

Plasma histamine level (PHL) was evaluated by a modified fluorometric assay (Suzuki) in the patients with various forms of liver disease as well as rabbits with liver injury. And the data obtained were compared with liver function tests in assessing the stage and prognosis of hepatic dysfunction. In acute hepatitis, if its prognosis was "good", as was also shown in the animal group with single dose administration of CCl4, the level of plasma histamine attained a peak before that of serum transaminases, and returned to normal prior to that of the latter. In persistent and chronic hepatitis, although correlation between PHL and other liver function tests was poor and variable, PHL remained high. And the estimation of PHL during the course of this state showed that it was elevated prior to that of serum transaminases, in dicating high level of plasma histamine in this state, even in apparent "steady state", worsening of the disease. In liver cirrhosis PHL correlated with the degree of serum transaminases as well as serum gammaglobulin. In "poor prognosis" group (patients with hepatic coma and rabbits treated with consecutive administration of CCl4) PHL increased extremely high, which was contrasted with the lowered levels of transaminases. These results strikingly suggest that histamine is involved in liver injury and estimation of PHL in the course of hepatic disorder is useful for a prediction of prognosis.