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It has been demonstrated that Na+ down-regulates IgE-dependent and IgE-independent histamine release from basophils of normal subjects. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Na+ exerts its inhibitory effect on basophil histamine release in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Peripheral blood leucocytes were stimulated with anti-IgE, n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) and IL-3 in the presence of high and low Na+ concentrations, and histamine release was measured by a fluorometric method. The dose-response curves of histamine release induced by the above stimuli were similar in SSc patients (n=15) and in normal subjects (n=39). Na+ removal from the extracellular medium and its isosmotic replacement with choline chloride led to a significant increase of anti-IgE-and fMLP-induced histamine release in normal subjects, but not in SSc patients. In the former population, histamine release induced by an optimal dose of anti-IgE (1/5000) was 26.4+/-3.1% in high Na+ and 59.3+/-3.5% in low Na+ (mean+/-s.e.m., P<0.0001), whereas in the latter population mean histamine release was 20.4+/-5.1% in high Na+ and 15.8+or-2.9% in low Na+ (p NS). A similar trend was observed when basophils were stimulated with fMLP. Na+ exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on anti-IgE- and fMLP-induced histamine release in normal subjects, but not in SSc patients. IL-3-induced histamine release from basophils of SSc patients was increased in a low-Na+ solution, but to a lesser extent when compared with normal controls. Therefore basophils from normal subjects and SSc patients behave in a different way when stimulated in a low-Na+ medium. The inhibitory effect of Na+ on basophil histamine release is impaired in SSc patients, and this abnormality could contribute to basophil dysfunction.

The effect of recombinant human IL-3 on human basophils from normal subjects was evaluated by the decrease of toluidine blue-positive basophils (TB+) and by histamine release. IL-3 (0.001 to 100 ng) caused the decrease of TB+ without concomitant histamine release, whereas anti-IgE-induced TB+ decrease was accompanied by histamine release. IL-3 enhanced both anti-IgE-induced TB+ decrease and histamine release. IL-3-induced TB+ decrease was dose- and Ca2+-dependent and related to the time of incubation (detectable after an incubation of 5 min and maximal after incubation of 2 h). When extracellular Na+ was replaced isosmotically with choline, N-methyl-D-glucamine, or glucose, histamine release also was observed after direct stimulation with IL-3. The effect was dose dependent, related to the time of incubation (detectable after 30 min and maximal after 60 min), and required extracellular Ca2+. The increase in extracellular Na+ or K+ concentrations was accompanied by a reduction of histamine release, with a more marked effect on IL-3- than on anti-IgE-induced histamine release. In line with these results, the Na+ ionophore gramicidin D, which increases Na+ influx, and the K+ channel blocker 4-aminopyridine, which decreases K+ efflux, dose-dependently inhibited anti-IgE- and IL-3-induced histamine release. The inhibitory effects on Na+ and K+ were slightly additive, suggesting an action via the same pathway, which most probably is membrane potential. These results indicate that: 1) IL-3 can induce TB+ decrease without concomitant histamine release, 2) basophils from normal subjects can release histamine on challenge with IL-3 once the inhibitory effect of Na+ is removed, and 3) Na+ and K+ down-regulate IL-3 as well as anti-IgE-induced histamine release.

The effects of Na+ and Ca2+ ions on histamine release from human basophils stimulated by anti-IgE, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and Ca2+ ionophore A23187 were evaluated. Isosmotic replacement of Na+ in the extracellular medium with the nonpermeant Na+ analogue choline+ or with glucose led to a significant increase in anti-IgE- (1/5000: 43.7 +/- 7.3% in high Na+ vs 68.9 +/- 7.3% in low Na+, mean +/- SEM, n = 8, P < 0.001), FMLP- (1 microM: 37.9 +/- 2.3% vs 49.5 +/- 4.3%, n = 8, P < 0.01) and PMA-(160 nM: 12.7 +/- 0.9% vs 27.3 +/- 4.3%, n = 8, P < 0.05) induced histamine release, whereas A23187-induced histamine release was reduced (1 microM: 90.4 +/- 2.4% vs 45.4 +/- 3.4%, n = 8, P < 0.0001). The progressive increase in extracellular Na+ concentration was accompanied by a decrease of basophil response to anti-IgE, FMLP and PMA; in contrast, A23187-induced histamine release was up-regulated by Na+. The Na+/H+ exchanger monensin, in the concentration range of 10(-8)-10(-4) M, exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on anti-IgE-, FMLP- and PMA-induced histamine release, but not on A23187-induced histamine release. Extracellular Ca2+ up-regulated the histamine release induced by all the above stimuli. Removal of extracellular Na+ lowered the requirement of extracellular Ca2+ for anti-IgE, FMLP- and PMA-induced histamine release. In contrast with previous observations showing that Na+ supports histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells and rat basophilic leukaemia cells, these results indicate that Na+ strongly inhibits histamine release from human basophils stimulated by anti-IgE, FMLP and PMA, whereas it enhances Ca2+ ionophore A23187-induced histamine release. The effects of Na+, which are probably related to modulation of membrane potential and/or intracellular pH, vary depending on the cell type and the stimulus employed for cell activation.

The effects of different extracellular Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations on histamine release from human basophils were investigated. Isosmotic replacement of extracellular Na+ either with choline+, a non-permeant Na+ analogue, or glucose significantly increased spontaneous and anti-IgE-induced histamine release. Basophils from 12 of 49 normal subjects, which were found not to release histamine upon challenge with an optimal dose of anti-IgE in a 135 mM NaCl buffer, were converted into releasing basophils when stimulation with anti-IgE was performed in a low-Na+ medium. The increase in Na+ concentration in the extracellular medium was accompanied by a reduction in the magnitude of basophil response to anti-IgE, which was significantly more pronounced in non-releasers than in releasers (per cent inhibition by 70 mM NaCl 75.5 +/- 3.2 vs 43.5 +/- 9.0, P < 0.01). At higher Na+ concentrations a progressive and almost complete abrogation of histamine release was observed in non-releasers, but not in releasers (maximal per cent inhibition at 140 mM NaCl 97.3 +/- 1.3 vs 50.4 +/- 8.6). The Na+/H+ exchanger monensin had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on anti-IgE-induced histamine release, and the concentration inhibiting 50% of histamine release was 1.5 x 10(-7) M. When basophils were challenged in the presence of different Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations, it was shown that the two cations have antagonistic effects, which is to say that they down-regulate and upregulate histamine release, respectively. Moreover, the requirement of extracellular Ca2+ was lowered in a low-Na+ medium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)