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Chronic epicutaneous application of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) on the right flank of C 57 BL/6 mice induces an inflammatory reaction and a selective increase in skin histamine level at the site of treatment. Tissue histamine levels were not increased at other sites such as controlateral skin, stomach rumen and skeletal muscle, and were decreased in stomach fundus and dorsal skin. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that mast cells play a significant role in cutaneous inflammation induced by PMA.

Histamine levels have been determined in nine tissues of four kinds (W/Wv, Wv/+, W/+, +/+) of WBB6F1 male and female mice, and mast cells have been counted in the skin and the fundus of W/Wv and +/+ mice. By comparison with +/+ mice (1) the association of the two alleles Wv and W induced a drastic decrease in tissues histamine levels and in mast cell number. (2) The allele Wv alone induced a marked decrease in tissue histamine levels but less important than the two alleles W and Wv. (3) In contrast, the allele W alone induced at least in some tissues, an increase in tissue histamine levels. In W/+, Wv/+ and +/+ fertile mice, tissue histamine levels were higher in females than in males. In contrast, in W/Wv mice which are sterile, no difference between males and females was observed.