Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on basophils and mast cells

• Published in: Anaesthesia 2006-12, Vol.61 (12), p.1170-1174
• Main Authors: Sudheer, P. S., Hall, J. E., Donev, R., Read, G., Rowbottom, A., Williams, P. E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergies; Anesthesia; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Basophils - metabolism; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; Bungarotoxins - metabolism; Cell Line; Cellular biology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Flow Cytometry - methods; Humans; Mast Cells - metabolism; Medical sciences; Microscopy; Microscopy, Confocal; Pharmacology; Receptors, Nicotinic - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Scientific imaging; Side effects; Signal transduction
• ISSN: 0003-2409; 1365-2044
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2006.04870.x

Summary Anaphylaxis in response to drugs administered during anaesthesia is a rare but potentially catastrophic event. The anaesthetic drugs most commonly associated with anaphylaxis are neuromuscular blocking agents. As these drugs act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of the neuromuscular junction, potentiation of anaphylaxis by a nicotinic receptor on basophils and mast cells is plausible. The aim of this study was to investigate whether nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are present on a human basophil and mast cell lines as their presence may suggest a mechanism of associated anaphylaxis. Nicotinic receptors were demonstrated on a basophil and a mast cell line using an α‐bungarotoxin–fluorescein conjugate by flow cytometry and by both conventional and confocal microscopic techniques. The identity of this receptor was confirmed by reverse transcriptase PCR and quantitative PCR.