Studies on histamine containing cells in the spleen of the magnesium-deficient rats.

When young Wistar rats (body wt. 50 g) were maintained on a magnesium-deficient diet (0.001% Mg) for eight days, the splenic weight and histamine content increased about 2-fold and 30-fold, respectively, compared with those of the control rats. There was no significant difference in the number of splenic mast cells between the magnesium-deficient and control rats. More neutrophilic, eosinophilic and basophilic granular cells were found in the spleen cells isolated from the magnesium-deficient rats than in those from the control rats. Of the isolated cells from magnesium-deficient rats, 7.6% were basophilic granular cells; however, no basophilic granular cells were observed in the spleen cells isolated from the control rats. In the cytochemical study, the yellowish fluorochrome formed by the interaction of o-phthalaldehyde and histamine was found in basophilic granular cells. These results suggest that the increase in the histamine content of the spleen of magnesium-deficient rats is related to the increased number of basophilic granular cells.