In a research letter recently published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, scientists reported that the mast cells in the bone marrow of patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM) have a complex picture, with differences in size, granularity and histamine content.
Mast cells are immune cells that play an important role in releasing histamine and other substances that counter allergic reactions and inflammation. However, when these mast cells do not function as they should or if there is an abnormal, excessive accumulation of these cells in the body, various symptoms may appear, such as itching, fatigue, abdominal pain and diarrhea and flushing.
The team of scientists conducted a study to better understand the characteristics of bone marrow mast cells in patients with clonal mast cell disorders, which includes SM, as well as idiopathic mast cell activation syndrome (meaning that the root cause of the disease is unknown).
A detailed laboratory analysis allowed scientists to observe anomalies in the bone marrow mast cells of affected patients. Through these efforts, they identified that mast cell characteristics varied between different disease subtypes; for example, mast cells were found to be larger in some conditions than others. The granularity of certain mast cells differed as well.
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The research team carrying out this study found that clonal mast cells had reduced membrane-bound and intracellular histamine content. They concluded that these observations, seen in larger and more granulated bone marrow mast cells that were aberrantly activated, was an intrinsic feature.
Scientists also discovered that the mast cells in the bone marrow of patients with idiopathic mast cell activated syndrome showed no significant changes compared with non-clonal subjects.
The characterizing of bone marrow mast cells in mast cell disorders is of particular importance to researchers because they may help shape clinical decision-making. Continued research into this area will allow clinicians to gain a better grasp of how mast cells behave and how these can be best addressed.
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