Histamine H2 receptor-mediated cyclic AMP formation in human platelets.

The influence of histamine on the level of cyclic AMP was studied in human platelets. A dose-related accumulation of cyclic AMP was obtained, culminating at about 10 microM of histamine. The response was blocked by the H2 antagonist cimetidine, but neither by H1 antagonists nor by alpha- or beta-adrenergic antagonists. The results suggest that histamine causes an accumulation of cyclic AMP in human platelets by stimulation of H2 receptors. Cyclic AMP accumulation is supposed to be associated with a depression of the platelet function, and a reduced platelet release reaction was actually demonstrated by our results.