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The arachidonic acid lipoxygenase metabolites of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) preparations obtained from 31 subjects with eosinophilia (eosinophil content of PMNL preparations: 27.0%, 4-73, median with range) and 29 normal donors (4.5%, 0-15) were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. More leukotriene (LT) C4 and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) (p less than 0.001) and less LTB4 (p less than 0.005) were found in eosinophil-rich preparations in comparison to controls on incubations with ionophore and arachidonic acid. In incubations with arachidonic acid alone, only small amounts of 5-lipoxygenase metabolites were produced by both groups, but the PMNL preparations from patients with eosinophilia showed higher capacity to release LTC4 and 15-HETE (p less than 0.005). In the eosinophil-rich preparations, the percentage of eosinophils correlated positively with the production of LTC4 and negatively with LTB4 (p less than 0.05, incubations with ionophore +/- arachidonic acid), and positively with 15-HETE (p less than 0.01, incubations with arachidonic acid +/- ionophore). Moreover the eosinophil-rich preparations produced more LTC4 per eosinophil in incubations with arachidonic acid alone (p less than 0.001) than normal PMNL preparations. The predominant release of LTC4 and 15-HETE by eosinophils was further confirmed by the analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage cells. Lavage cells containing eosinophils released LTC4 and 15-HETE while normal bronchoalveolar lavages, which were poor in eosinophils, did not produce detectable amount of LTC4 and 15-HETE. These results show that eosinophils release preferentially LTC4 and 15-HETE in contrast to LTB4 for the neutrophils.

The gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of the monohydroxy acids 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) as their methyl ester trimethylsilyl, methyl ester allyldimethylsilyl and methyl ester tert.-butyldimethylsilyl ethers were investigated. The gas chromatographic properties of the trimethylsilyl and tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives were found to be excellent while the allyldimethylsilyl derivative required a well deactivated column. The mass spectra of these silyl derivatives with the exception for 12-HETE did not exhibit particularly intense ions in the upper mass region. A quantitative analysis by selected-ion monitoring of the most intense ion in the upper mass region of respective mass spectrum demonstrated that a detection limit in the low picogram range could only be obtained for 12-HETE. Since the mass spectra indicated that the double bonds exerted a strong influence on the fragmentation pattern, the trimethylsilyl, allyldimethylsilyl and tert.-butyldimethylsilyl ethers of the methyl esters of the reduced analogues of the monohydroxy acids were prepared. The saturation of the double bonds completely altered the fragmentation patterns and very intense ions carrying a high percentage of the total ion abundance were found in all of the mass spectra. The developed technique was utilized for measurements of 5-HETE in lung tissue samples from patients with lung cancer.

The LTD4 antagonist, Wy-48,252 (1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[3-(2-quinolinylmethoxy)phenyl]methanesulfonamide), was assessed for its ability to modulate arachidonic acid metabolism in several inflammatory cells. In A23187-stimulated rat neutrophils, Wy-48,252 effectively inhibited the conversion of exogenous [14C]arachidonic acid to radiolabeled 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) (IC50 = 2 and 9.1 microM, respectively). Synthesis of immunoreactive leukotriene B4 (LTB4) (IC50 = 4.6 microM) and TxB2 (IC50 = 3.3 microM) from endogenous substrate by these cells in the absence of [14C]arachidonic acid was similarly reduced. Wy-48,252 also reduced leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and PGE2 synthesis by zymosan-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages (IC50 = 4.4 and 4.3 microM, respectively). 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) catalyzed reactions in human neutrophils, lung mast cells and basophils activated by various stimuli were dose dependently inhibited by Wy-48,252 while PGD2 synthesis by lung mast cells was inhibited at 100 microM. By contrast, 12-LO, 15-LO, phosphodiesterase activity and histamine release from mast cells and basophils were unaffected by Wy-48,252. These data suggested that the LTD4 antagonist, Wy-48,252, also inhibited the synthesis of eicosanoids, a feature that may contribute to its pharmacological actions in vivo.

A new metabolite of arachidonic acid, 5-D-(S),12-D-(R)-dihydroxy-6,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, was found upon incubation of the fatty acid with a suspension of rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes collected 4 h after injection of glycogen into the peritoneal cavity. The yield of the dihydroxy acid was 0.5 to 2%. The compound possesses three conjugated double bonds and was found to be stereochemically pure at C-5 and C-12. Incubation of the cells with 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid did not lead to the formation of the analogous triunsaturated dihydroxy acid.

A near-maximal dose (20 ng/ml) of synthetic luteinizing hormone(LH)-releasing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)-releasing hormone added to incubated anterior pituitary tissue of male rats leads to concomitant increases of intracellular concentrations of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate and of release of both LH and FSH. The stimulatory effect of LH-releasing hormone/FSH-releasing hormone is observed after a lag period of about 90 min and is progressive at later time intervals; a 3-fold stimulation of cAMP accumulation over control is seen after 210 min of incubation. Half-maximal stimulation of cAMP accumulation is observed between 0.1 and 1.0 ng/ml (0.1-1 nM) of LH-releasing hormone/FSH-releasing hormone. In the presence of 10 mM theophylline, the stimulatory effect of LH-releasing hormone/FSH-releasing hormone on cAMP accumulation is similar to that observed in the absence of the inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, indicating that the releasing hormone exerts its effect by specific activation of adenylate cyclase in LH- and FSH-secreting cells rather than by inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Since the release of growth hormone, thyrotropin, prolactin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone is not affected by LH-releasing hormone/FSH-releasing hormone, and since cAMP stimulates the release of all six adenohypophyseal hormones. the observed changes of cAMP concentrations indicate specific stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in LH-and FSH-secreting cells of the adenohypophysis.