Mast cells are critically involved in serum-mediated vascular leakage in chronic urticaria beyond high-affinity IgE receptor stimulation

Abstract

Our study shows that CU sera are able to degranulate MCs through an IgE- and IgG-independent mechanism. The nature of histamine-releasing factors involved is still unclear, but our finding opens new ways to the understanding of the pathogenesis of CU, particularly in patients not showing circulating autoantibodies to FcεRI or IgE.