The substance P receptor on rat mast cells and in human skin.

(D-Pro4 D- Trp7 ,9,10)SP4-11 (SPA) has been shown to be a competitive antagonist of the histamine releasing action of substance P in rat peritoneal mast cells. Antagonist activity of SPA is expressed in the concentration range 1 to 10 microM, but at higher concentrations SPA releases histamine. SPA inhibits the flare response induced by substance P in human skin but is without effect on the wheal response. Up to 12.5 pmol SPA produces neither wheal nor flare response by itself. The structurally related peptide, kassinin , does not cause histamine release from rat mast cells at concentrations up to 10 microM whereas the methyl ester of substance P was found to 1.6 times more active than substance P in this respect. The findings are discussed in terms of the classification of substance P receptors and the mechanism of wheal and flare in human skin.