Studies of cellular mechanisms for the generation of superoxide by guinea-pig eosinophils and its dissociation from granule peroxidase release.

Guniea-pig peritoneal eosinophils generated superoxide anions in response to opsonized zymosan, platelet activating factor, sodium fluoride, digitonin, phorbol ester and calcium ionophore, but were refractory to fMLP. These agonists did not stimulate release of eosinophil peroxidase. The phospholipase inhibitor, mepacrine, and the protein kinase inhibitor, trifluoperazine, were effective inhibitors of superoxide production. Activators of protein kinase C, such as exogenously added phorbol ester and endogenously derived diacylglycerol, stimulate superoxide production, which is therefore proposed to be via pathways dependent on phospholipase and protein kinase activity.