Inhibition of protein kinase C, (sodium plus potassium)-activated adenosine triphosphatase, and sodium pump by synthetic phospholipid analogues.

The effects and modes of action of certain antineoplastic phospholipid analogues (racemic 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl glycero-3-phosphocholine, BM 41.440, JH-1, CV-3988, and HePC) on (sodium plus potassium)-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na,K-ATPase) and sodium pump activities were investigated. Inhibition of Na,K-ATPase in purified rat brain synaptosomal membranes by these lipids, in contrast to ouabain, was subject to membrane surface dilution and unaffected by whether the reaction was started with KCl, NaCl, or ATP. Kinetic analysis indicated that the analogues, again dissimilar to ouabain, were likely to interact directly or indirectly with sodium-binding sites of Na,K-ATPase located at the intracellular surface of the plasma membrane, a conclusion also supported by studies using the inside-out vesicles of human erythrocyte membranes. The studies also showed that ouabain (but not the lipids) increased the affinity constant of Na,K-ATPase for K+, whereas the lipids (but not ouabain) increased that for Na+. The lipids also inhibited 86Rb uptake by intact human leukemia HL60 cells at potencies quite comparable to those seen for inhibition of purified protein kinase C or Na,K-ATPase. It is suggested that Na,K-ATPase (sodium pump) might represent a hitherto unrecognized site of action for the lipid analogues, and that the antineoplastic effects of the agents might be due to, in part, inhibition of both protein kinase C and Na,K-ATPase and perhaps other membrane-associated enzymes.