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From: Cassia Davis
Date: 04 Feb 2004
Time: 15:43:09 -0500
Remote Name: 68.214.210.204
You are probably thinking of histaMine which is not histiDine. Histidine is the amino acid while Histamine is a hormone. Histidine though, is the precursor to histamine. Basically histamine is a hormone/chemical transmitter that is involved in local immune responses. It also regulates stomach acid production as well as acts as a mediator of immediate hypersensitivity in allergic reactions. To produce histamine you must decarboxylate histidine. Many drugs that imitate the histamine-like properties contain fragments that do not contain the entire R group. So the answer to your questions would be no. Drugs that do not contain the entire R-group produce the same effects. For further reading refer to http://old.weber.edu/ewalker/Medicinal_Chemistry/topics/Antihistam_local_anesth/antihista.htm#A These are common fragments used in drugs as shown by the reference above. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------