Effects of intracerebroventricular injection of histamine and its related compounds on rectal temperature in mice

Effects of intracerebroventricular injection of histamine and its related compounds on rectal temperature were studied in mice. Histamine (0.1-1.0 mu g) and histidine (500-1,000 mg/kg) caused a dose-related hypothermia. H1 agonist, 2-methylhistamine and 2-thiazolylethylamine also displayed a dose-dependent hypothermia. In addition, H2 agonists, 4-methylhistamine and dimaprit elicited a decrease in body temperature. Preinjection of not only H1-antagonists (diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine) but also H2 antagonists (cimetidine and ranitidine) abolished histamine-induced hypothermia. Either intracerebroventricular or intraperitoneal injection of thioperamide, a histamine H3 antagonist, showed hypothermia. The hypothermic effect produced by intracerebroventricular injection of thioperamide was significantly blocked by (R)-alpha-methylhistamine, a selective H3 agonist. In addition, the effect induced by thioperamide was inhibited by H1 and H2 antagonists, indicating that the H3 receptor also participates in histamine-induced hypothermia.