Inhibition by L-arginine of the endothelin-mediated increase in cytosolic calcium in human neutrophils.

The effect of endothelin (ET) on the cytosolic-free calcium [(Ca2+]i) changes in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from normal humans and Wistar rats was investigated. ET induced a dose-related [Ca2+]i peak. This [Ca2+]i transient was blunted by TMB-8 (10(-5)M) and by Ca(2+)-free EGTA medium, therefore suggesting a role of both intracellular Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx in the generation of the [Ca2+]i peak. Preincubation of PMN with the nitric oxide (NO)-donor L-arginine (L-Arg) markedly blocked the ET-induced [Ca2+]i transient in an enantiomerically-specific manner. A similar blunting effect of L-Arg on the fMLP (10(-7)M)-induced [Ca2+]i transient was detected. The L-Arg antagonist, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), reverted the L-Arg blocking effect on both ET- and fMLP-induced [Ca2+]i transients. These data suggest that ET has a potential role in activating Ca2+ mobilization in PMN, an effect that can be inhibited by L-Arg.