What is the purpose of histamine in allergic reactions?
The histamine reaction in relation to the immune response (in both allergic reactions and immune reactions) serves two main functions: 1. It causes what is called “vasodilation.” Vasodilation occurs when the muscular walls that surround blood vessels are relaxed, causing the blood vessels to widen. 2. It induces fluid secretion at the site of infection. Both of these responses are an important part of the inflammatory response. Vasolidation allows white blood cells to move easily to the site of infection. Fluid secretion is important in ridding the body of infectious agents or allergens. At a molecular level, histamine helps stimulate certain macrophage responses as well as Helper T cell responses, which leads to the activation of B cells and thereby induces antibody response. Histamine in Digestion: Histamine plays a role in digestion by inducing the production of acid in the stomach. Histamine in Sleep: Histamine causes you to feel awake and alert. Since it is important that we are a
