Probucol pretreatment enhances the chemotaxis of mouse peritoneal macrophages.

To investigate the effects of probucol on macrophage chemotaxis, we preincubated mouse peritoneal macrophages with probucol for 20 hours in vitro and using a modified Boyden chamber system compared their chemotactic responses with those of control macrophages that were preincubated with vehicle. Probucol pretreatment enhanced the macrophage chemotactic responses to zymosan-activated serum, acetylated low density lipoprotein (LDL), and native LDL. Probucol pretreatment also enhanced the basal migration observed when there was no stimulant in the lower chamber of a modified Boyden chamber. The chemoattracting potency of native LDL was weaker than that of zymosan-activated serum in control macrophages; however, both substances became equally potent when the macrophages were preincubated with probucol. The degree of the enhancement to native LDL after probucol preincubation reached fourfold to eightfold. The fashion of the enhanced migration of macrophages to native LDL after preincubation with probucol was predominantly chemotactic rather than chemokinetic. Time-course experiments revealed that it took more than 12 hours of probucol preincubation to show clearly enhanced macrophage chemotaxis to native LDL. Macrophages preincubated with probucol together with cycloheximide showed markedly reduced chemotaxis compared with macrophages preincubated only with probucol. Probucol pretreatment also enhanced macrophage chemotactic responses to high density lipoprotein, oxidized LDL, and lipoprotein-deficient serum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)