Effect of anti-allergic compounds on anaphylactic histamine secretion from rat peritoneal mast cells in the presence and absence of exogenous calcium.

The anti-allergic drugs theophylline, doxantrazole, quercetin, 8-bromo cyclic AMP, and disodium cromoglycate prevented anaphylactic histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells in both the presence and absence of extracellular calcium. The activity of the test compounds under the latter conditions cannot be simply explained in terms of their postulated ability to block movement of the cation from the external environment into the cell. Alternative modes of action are thus considered.