Advertisement
Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI3692
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by van der Pouw Kraan, T. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by Snijders, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by Boeije, L. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by de Groot, E. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by Alewijnse, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by Leurs, R. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
CLB, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Department of Auto-Immune Diseases, Laboratory for Experimental and Clinical Immunology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. TpouwK@CLB.nl
Find articles by Aarden, L. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Published November 15, 1998 - More info
IL-12 is essential for T helper 1 (Th1) development and inhibits the induction of Th2 responses. Atopic diseases, which are characterized by Th2 responses, are associated with the overproduction of histamine. Here we present evidence that histamine, at physiological concentrations, strongly inhibits human IL-12 p40 and p70 mRNA and protein production by human monocytes. The use of specific histamine receptor antagonists reveals that this inhibition is mediated via the H2 receptor and induction of intracellular cAMP. The inhibition of IL-12 production is independent of IL-10 and IFN-gamma. The observation that histamine strongly reduces the production of the Th1-inducing cytokine IL-12 implies a positive feedback mechanism for the development of Th2 responses in atopic patients.