Histamine H2-receptor of human and rabbit parietal cells.

The histamine H2-receptor on the human parietal cell has been characterized by using dose-response curves and the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of an antagonist (pA2) analyses of cimetidine antagonism of betazole, histamine, and impromidine stimulation in isolated human and rabbit gastric glands. To evaluate the in vitro results, betazole-stimulated gastric acid secretion with and without cimetidine was also studied in healthy subjects. In the in vivo model, individual dose-response curves were shifted to the right with increasing cimetidine concentrations, but this was counteracted by increasing betazole doses, indicating competitive, reversible antagonism. The pA2 values ranged from 6.1 to 6.3. In isolated human gastric glands, impromidine was shown to be eight times more potent than histamine, indicating higher receptor affinity, but the maximally stimulated aminopyrine accumulation was the same as for histamine, and the pA2 values for cimetidine antagonism did not differ significantly, i.e., 5.7 (histamine) and 6.1 (impromidine). In isolated rabbit gastric glands, cimetidine inhibited the histamine- and impromidine-stimulated response with pA2 values of 6.0 and 7.3, respectively. Impromidine was shown to be approximately 100 times more potent than in human gastric glands, whereas histamine had the same potency. This confirms the role of the histamine H2-receptor and suggests a difference between the species concerning receptor affinity.