Gastric mucosal histamine, histamine formation capacity (HFC) and plasma gastrin after cysteamine administration.

Cysteamine administration is followed by stomach and duodenal ulcers in rats. We aimed to establish a time relationship between changes in gastric mucosal histamine, histamine formation capacity (HFC) and plasma gastrin after cysteamine administration. Up to 4 h after cysteamine s.c., no ulcers were found. Plasma gastrin rose after cysteamine and was higher than in controls 2h after injection. Mucosal histamine fell after 4h; no other significant changes were found in mucosal histamine and HFC. A direct correlation was found between plasma gastrin and HFC in both controls and after cysteamine. It is suggested that the changes indicate that cysteamine releases gastrin, which increases HFC and thus histamine. The fall in histamine seems to indicate utilization of histamine in acid production.