The antineoplastic drug adriamycin, at a concentration of 100 micrograms/ml, caused a significant histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. This exocytotic process was unaffected by pretreatment with various concentrations of catalase, superoxide-dismutase, D-mannitol, alpha-tocopherol and reduced glutathione. Only very high concentrations of n-acetylcysteine significantly limited this release; this substance was also active in limiting histamine secretion induced by a classic mast cell secretagogue, compound 48/80.