Involvement of MAP kinases in lipopolysaccharide-induced histamine production in RAW 264 cells

Roles of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of histamine in the mouse macrophage-like cell line RAW 264 were analyzed. Incubation of RAW 264 cells in the presence of LPS increased histamine levels in the conditioned medium in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The levels of histidine decarboxylase (HDC) mRNA and the 74-kDa HDC protein were also increased at 4 to 8 h and 8 to 12 h, respectively. LPS elicited the phosphorylation of p44/42 MAP kinase, p38 MAP kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). The MAP kinase-Erk kinase 1 inhibitor U0126 (0.1–10 μM) suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of p44/42 MAP kinase, and inhibited the LPS-induced production of histamine and expression of the HDC mRNA and 74-kDa HDC protein in a concentration-dependent manner. The JNK inhibitor SP600125 (3–30 μM) suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun, and inhibited the LPS-induced production of histamine and expression of the HDC mRNA and 74-kDa protein in a concentration-dependent manner. Combined treatment with U0126 (0.3 μM) and SP600125 (10 μM) inhibited the LPS-induced production of histamine additively. The p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580 (0.1–10 μM) partially inhibited the LPS-induced production of histamine. These findings suggest that LPS increases histamine production in RAW 264 cells by inducing the expression of the 74-kDa HDC protein, and that the LPS-induced expression of HDC is up-regulated at the transcriptional level by MAP kinases, especially p44 MAP kinase and JNK.