Eicosanoid production by density-defined human peritoneal macrophages during inflammation.

Density-defined macrophages isolated from fluids of patients with liver cirrhosis mainly generated the 5-lipoxygenase products leukotriene B4 (LTB4, 16%) and 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE, 24%) and the cyclooxygenase products 12-hydroxyheptadecatrienoic acid (HHT, 22%) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2, 18%). The synthesis of eicosanoids was linear with the maturity of the macrophage subpopulations, suggesting that eicosanoid production is increased in in-vivo activated macrophages.