Mast cells detected in cultures of neonatal rat heart cells.

Although the presence of mast cells in heart muscle is well documented, their possible presence in heart cell cultures has not yet been considered. In this paper we show for the first time that cultures from neonatal rat hearts contain mast cells in proportions which may exert physiological influences on heart muscle cells. Evidence is based on cytochemistry, immunocytochemistry with a monoclonal antibody (F2) specific for connective tissue mast cells of the rat, and direct estimations of both cellular histamine and histamine released into the culture medium. Since the number of nonmuscle cells immunoreactive with antibody F2 exceeded the number of cells reacting with conventional cytochemical stains for mast cells, a substantial proportion of the former may represent less differentiated (precursor) cells.