Mast cells from human respiratory tissue and their in vitro reactivity.

Human respiratory mast cells, which were obtained coincidentally with diagnostic bronchial brush biopsy, were maintained under conditions for short-term tissue culture. Most mast cells were viable and degranulated on exposure to antibody to immunoglobulin E or to the mast cell degranulating agent compound 48-80. The degranulation of human mast cells is characteristically an intracellular process with no extracellular extrusion of granules.