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Overly strong fear memories can cause pathological conditions. Histamine H 3 receptor (H 3 R) has been viewed as an optimal drug target for CNS disorders, but its role in fear memory remains elusive. We find that a selective deficit of H 3 R in cholinergic neurons, but not in glutamatergic neurons, enhances freezing level during contextual fear memory retrieval without affecting cued memory. Consistently, genetically knocking down H 3 R or chemogenetically activating cholinergic neurons in the ventral basal forebrain (vBF) mimics this enhanced fear memory, whereas the freezing augmentation is rescued by re-expressing H 3 R or chemogenetic inhibition of vBF cholinergic neurons. Spatiotemporal regulation of H 3 R by a light-sensitive rhodopsin-H 3 R fusion protein suggests that postsynaptic H 3 Rs in vBF cholinergic neurons, but not presynaptic H 3 Rs of cholinergic projections in the dorsal hippocampus, are responsible for modulating contextual fear memory. Therefore, precise modulation of H 3 R in a cell-type- and subcellular-location-specific manner should be explored for pathological fear memory., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Histamine is a conserved neuromodulator in mammalian brains and critically involved in many physiological functions. Understanding the precise structure of the histaminergic network is the cornerstone in elucidating its function. Herein, using histidine decarboxylase (HDC)-CreERT2 mice and genetic labeling strategies, we reconstructed a whole-brain three dimensional (3D) structure of histaminergic neurons and their outputs at 0.32 × 0.32 × 2 μm 3 pixel resolution with a cutting-edge fluorescence microoptical sectioning tomography system. We quantified the fluorescence density of all brain areas and found that histaminergic fiber density varied significantly among brain regions. The density of histaminergic fiber was positively correlated with the amount of histamine release induced by optogenetic stimulation or physiological aversive stimulation. Lastly, we reconstructed a fine morphological structure of 60 histaminergic neurons via sparse labeling and uncovered the largely heterogeneous projection pattern of individual histaminergic neurons. Collectively, this study reveals an unprecedented whole-brain quantitative analysis of histaminergic projections at the mesoscopic level, providing a foundation for future functional histaminergic study.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder, and existing antipsychotic drugs show limited efficacy and cause unwanted side effects. The development of glutamatergic drugs for schizophrenia is currently challenging. Most functions of histamine in the brain are mediated by the histamine H 1 receptor; however, the role of the H 2  receptor (H 2 R) is not quite clear, especially in schizophrenia. Here, we found that expression of H 2 R in glutamatergic neurons of the frontal cortex was decreased in schizophrenia patients. Selective knockout of the H 2 R gene ( Hrh2 ) in glutamatergic neurons ( CaMKIIα-Cre; Hrh2  fl/fl ) induced schizophrenia-like phenotypes including sensorimotor gating deficits, increased susceptibility to hyperactivity, social withdrawal, anhedonia, and impaired working memory, as well as decreased firing of glutamatergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in in vivo electrophysiological tests. Selective knockdown of H 2 R in glutamatergic neurons in the mPFC but not those in the hippocampus also mimicked these schizophrenia-like phenotypes. Furthermore, electrophysiology experiments established that H 2 R deficiency decreased the firing of glutamatergic neurons by enhancing the current through hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. In addition, either H 2 R overexpression in glutamatergic neurons or H 2 R agonism in the mPFC counteracted schizophrenia-like phenotypes in an MK-801-induced mouse model of schizophrenia. Taken together, our results suggest that deficit of H 2 R in mPFC glutamatergic neurons may be pivotal to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and that H 2 R agonists can be regarded as potentially efficacious medications for schizophrenia therapy. The findings also provide evidence for enriching the conventional glutamate hypothesis for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and improve the understanding of the functional role of H 2 R in the brain, especially in glutamatergic neurons.

Novel targets for treating feeding-related diseases are of great importance, and histamine has long been considered an anorexigenic agent. However, understanding its functions in feeding in a circuit-specific way is still limited. Here, we report a medial septum (MS)-projecting histaminergic circuit mediating feeding behavior. This MS-projecting histaminergic circuit is functionally inhibited during food consumption, and bidirectionally modulates feeding behavior via downstream H2, but not H1, receptors on MS glutamatergic neurons. Further, we observed a pathological decrease of histamine 2 receptors (H2Rs) expression in MS glutamatergic neurons in diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice. Genetically, down-regulation of H2Rs expression in MS glutamatergic neurons accelerates body-weight gain. Importantly, chronic activation of H2Rs in MS glutamatergic neurons (with its clinical agonist amthamine) significantly slowed down the body-weight gain in DIO mice, providing a possible clinical utility to treat obesity. Together, our results demonstrate that this MS-projecting histaminergic circuit is critically involved in feeding, and H2Rs in MS glutamatergic neurons is a promising target for treating body-weight problems., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The neurotransmitter histamine receives less attention compared with other biogenic amines, because of its moderate action in the central nervous system (CNS). However, recent evidence suggests that histamine plays an important role in multiple CNS disorders including insomnia, narcolepsy, Parkinson's diseases, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and cerebral ischemia. New insights are emerging into the potential roles of histamine receptors as targets for the treatment of these diseases. Although some histamine related agents have failed in clinical trials, current preclinical studies suggest that this neurotransmitter may still have extensive applications in treating CNS disorders, however, advanced studies are warranted. This review summarizes findings from animal models and clinical research on the role of histamine and its receptor ligands in the brain for treatment of CNS disorders. The development of novel histamine receptor ligands and gaining an in-depth understanding of their potential mechanisms are necessary stepping stones to unlock their wide-ranging applications in the clinical arena., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The role of the histamine H3 receptor (H3R) in cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains unknown. Here we show that H3R expression is upregulated after I/R in two mouse models. H3R antagonists and H3R knockout attenuate I/R injury, which is reversed by an H3R-selective agonist. Interestingly, H1R and H2R antagonists, a histidine decarboxylase (HDC) inhibitor and HDC knockout all fail to compromise the protection by H3R blockade. H3R blockade inhibits mTOR phosphorylation and reinforces autophagy. The neuroprotection by H3R antagonism is reversed by 3-methyladenine and siRNA for Atg7, and is diminished in Atg5⁻/⁻ mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Furthermore, the peptide Tat-H3R(CT414-436), which blocks CLIC4 binding with H3Rs, or siRNA for CLIC4, further increases I/R-induced autophagy and protects against I/R injury. Therefore, H3R promotes I/R injury while its antagonism protects against ischaemic injury via histamine-independent mechanisms that involve suppressing H3R/CLIC4 binding-activated autophagy, suggesting that H3R inhibition is a therapeutic target for cerebral ischaemia.

Using histamine and the H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide, the roles of histamine receptors in NMDA-induced necrosis were investigated in rat cultured cortical neurons. Within 3 h of intense NMDA insult, most neurons died by necrosis. Histamine reversed the neurotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner and showed peak protection at a concentration of 10(-7) m. This protection was antagonized by the H2 receptor antagonists cimetidine and zolantidine but not by the H1 receptor antagonists pyrilamine and diphenhydramine. In addition, the selective H2 receptor agonist amthamine mimicked the protection by histamine. This action was prevented by cimetidine but not by pyrilamine. 8-Bromo-cAMP also mimicked the effect of histamine. In contrast, both the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor 9-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-9H-purine-6-amine and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide reversed the protection by histamine. Thioperamide also attenuated NMDA-induced excitotoxicity, which was reversed by the H3 receptor agonist (R)-alpha-methylhistamine but not by pyrilamine and cimetidine. In addition, the protection by thioperamide was inhibited by the GABA(A) receptor antagonists picrotoxin and bicuculline. Further study demonstrated that the protection by thioperamide was due to increased GABA release in NMDA-stimulated samples. These results indicate that not only the H2 receptor/cAMP/cAMP-dependent protein kinase pathway but also the H3 receptor/GABA release pathway can attenuate NMDA-induced neurotoxicity.

1 Carcinine (beta-alanyl histamine) is an imidazole dipeptide. The present study was designed to characterize the pharmacological effects of carcinine on histaminergic activity in the brain and on certain neurobehavior. 2 Carcinine was highly selective for the histamine H3 receptor over H1 or H2 receptor (Ki (microM)=0.2939+/-0.2188 vs 3621.2+/-583.9 or 365.3+/-232.8 microM, respectively). 3 Carcinine at a dose of 20 mg kg(-1) slightly increased histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity in the cortex (from 0.186+/-0.069 to 0.227+/-0.009 pmol mg protein(-1) min(-1)). In addition, carcinine (10, 20, and 50 mg kg(-1)) significantly decreased histamine levels in mice brain. 4 Like thioperamide, a histamine H3 receptor antagonist, carcinine (20, 50 microM) significantly increased 5-HT release from mice cortex slices, but had no apparent effect on dopamine release. 5 Carcinine (20 mg kg(-1)) significantly inhibited pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling. This inhibition was completely reversed by (R)-alpha-methylhistamine, a representative H3 receptor agonist, and alpha-fluromethylhistidine, a selective HDC inhibitor. 6 Carcinine (20 mg kg(-1)) ameliorated the learning deficit induced by scopolamine. This amelioration was reversed by (R)-alpha-methylhistamine as evaluated by the passive avoidance test in mice. 7 Like thioperamide, carcinine dose-dependently increased mice locomotor activity in the open-field test. 8 The results of this study provide first and direct evidence that carcinine, as a novel histamine H3 receptor antagonist, plays an important role in histaminergic neurons activation and might be useful in the treatment of certain diseases, such as epilepsy, and locomotor or cognitive deficit.

G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) transmit downstream signals predominantly via G‐protein pathways. However, the conformational basis of selective coupling of primary G‐protein remains elusive. Histamine receptors H2R and H3R couple with Gs‐ or Gi‐proteins respectively. Here, three cryo‐EM structures of H2R‐Gs and H3R‐Gi complexes are presented at a global resolution of 2.6‐2.7 Å. These structures reveal the unique binding pose for endogenous histamine in H3R, wherein the amino group interacts with E2065.46 of H3R instead of the conserved D1143.32 of other aminergic receptors. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the H2R‐Gs and H3R‐Gi complexes reveals that the structural geometry of TM5/TM6 determines the primary G‐protein selectivity in histamine receptors. Machine learning (ML)‐based structuromic profiling and functional analysis of class A GPCR–G‐protein complexes illustrate that TM5 length, TM5 tilt, and TM6 outward movement are key determinants of the Gs and Gi/o selectivity among the whole Class A family. Collectively, the findings uncover the common structural geometry within class A GPCRs that determines the primary Gs‐ and Gi/o‐coupling selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is believed that carnosine has protective effects on various cell types, its effect on microvascular endothelial cells has not been well defined. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of carnosine in microvascular endothelial cells using an in vitro rotenone-induced oxidative stress model., Mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells were exposed to 1 μmol/L rotenone for 18 h. In some experiments, carnosine (100 nmol/L-1 mmol/L) was added 30 min prior to rotenone exposure. When used, histamine receptor antagonists (100 nmol/L-10 μmol/L) were added 15 min before carnosine treatment. After rotenone exposure, apoptosis of microvascular cells was analysed by Hoechst 33342 staining, whereas mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed by JC-1 staining. Intracellular carnosine and histamine levels were determined using HPLC or ultra- HPLC., Over the range 1 μmol/L-1 mmol/L, carnosine concentration-dependently decreased the number of apoptotic cells after 18 h exposure to rotenone. This effect was reversed by the histamine H1 receptor antagonists pyrilamine and diphenhydramine (1 and 10 μmol/L) and the H2 receptor antagonists cimetidine (100 nmol/L-10 μmol/L) and zolatidine (10 μmol/L). α-Fluoromethylhistidine (100 μmol/L), a selective and irreversible inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, also significantly inhibited the protective effects of carnosine. At 0.1 mmol/L, carnosine restored the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential after 6 h exposure to 1 μmol/L rotenone and this effect was also reversed by the H1 and H2 receptor antagonists. Moreover, intracellular carnosine levels increased as early as 1 h after carnosine treatment, whereas intracellular histamine levels increased 18 h after carnosine treatment., The results of the present study indicate that carnosine protects brain microvascular endothelial cells against rotenone-induced oxidative stress injury via histamine H1 and H2 receptors. The findings suggest that carnosine may be beneficial in the treatment of microvascular endothelial dysfunction induced by oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent reports and our previous study suggest that mast cells play a crucial role in the pathological processes that follow cerebral ischemia. In this study, the effect of mast cells on neuron injury after cerebral ischemia was determined by adding in vitro ischemia-induced supernatant from mast cells to neurons and PC12 cells under the same conditions (oxygen–glucose deprivation, OGD). The degree of cell injury was evaluated by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-dipheny-ltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Mast cell-derived supernatant protected against OGD-induced injury of PC12 cells and neurons, and this protection was reversed by a histamine H1 antagonist and by anti-histamine serum, but not by an H2 antagonist. However, histamine and nerve growth factor (NGF) added separately or together did not have protective effects against OGD-induced injury. These results indicate that mast cell-derived protection during in vitro ischemia is histamine-dependent, and involves cooperation with other mediators, but not NGF. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of transient cerebral ischemia on brain mast cells in rats. The mast cells decreased significantly at 1 h, 2 h, 4 h and 7 days after ischemia. At 1 day following ischemia, the increase of the number of mast cells in the middle aspect of the thalamus (bregma -2.80 to -3.16 mm) was twice as that of other regions in the thalamus. In addition, histamine contents increased significantly in the thalamus and striatum after ischemia. These results indicate that brain mast cells participate in the pathological process after ischemia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using the histamine H3 receptor antagonist clobenpropit, the roles of histamine H3 receptors in NMDA-induced necrosis were investigated in rat cultured cortical neurons. Clobenpropit reversed the neurotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner, and showed peak protection at a concentration of 10− 7 M. This protection was antagonized by the histamine H3 receptor agonist (R)-α-methylhistamine, but not by the histamine H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine or the histamine H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. In addition, the protection by clobenpropit was inhibited by the GABAA receptor antagonists picrotoxin and bicuculline. Further study demonstrated that the protection by clobenpropit was due to increased GABA release. The inducible GABA release was also inhibited by (R)-α-methylhistamine, but not by pyrilamine or cimetidine. Furthermore, both the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor SQ-22536 and the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H-89 reversed the protection and the GABA release by clobenpropit. In addition, clobenpropit reversed the NMDA-induced increase in intracellular calcium level, which was antagonized by (R)-α-methylhistamine. These results indicate that clobenpropit enhanced GABA release to protect against NMDA-induced excitotoxicity, which was induced through the cAMP/PKA pathway, and reduction of intracellular calcium level may also be involved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The nervous tissue of many vertebrates, including humans, can synthesize β-alanyl-l-histidine (carnosine). The biological functions of carnosine are still open to question, although several theories supported by strong experimental data have been proposed. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of carnosine on neurotoxicity in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Neurotoxicity was induced by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), which caused time- and concentration-dependent cell death as measured by MTT and LDH assays. Pretreatment with carnosine significantly prevented the neurotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effect of carnosine was antagonized by the H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine, but not by the H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. In addition, α-fluoromethylhistidine, a histidine decarboxylase inhibitor, slightly reversed the protective action of carnosine. These results indicate that carnosine can effectively protect against NMDA-induced necrosis in PC12 cells, and its protection may in part be due to the activation of the postsynaptic histamine H1 receptor. The study suggests that carnosine may be an endogenous protective factor and calls for its further study as a new anti-excitotoxic agent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]