Histamine release by cortisone induced hyperglycemis

The purpose of this work was to determine in guinea-pigs whether or not a single injection of cortisone caused a detectable change in plasma histamine level, and whether or not this effect was a direct action of cortisone on histamine metabolism. A single dose of cortisone caused a significant increase in plasma histamine level. Cortisone also increased the level of blood glucose. When cortisone induced hyperglycemia was abolished by the injection of insulin, no rise in the level of plasma histamine occurred. The increase in plasma histamine level following a single cortisone injection could be duplicated by the administration of glucose. These results suggest that the increase in plasma histamine concentration induced by cortisone was mediated by the hyperglycemic effect of cortisone. The chronic administration of cortisone or glucose over a period of 10 days showed that both substances decreased tissue histamine. Histamine depletion by cortisone was greater than that caused by glucose and could be partially blocked by daily injections of insulin