Induction of inflammatory mediators from human polymorphonuclear granulocytes and rat mast cells by haemolysin-positive and -negative E. coli strains with different adhesins.

We investigated the role of various E. coli strains that expressed different adhesins and/or generated haemolysin with regard to the induction of inflammatory mediators, e.g. histamine release from rat mast cells as well as the chemiluminescence response and the release of lipoxygenase transformation products from human polymorphonuclear neutrophils. Our data show that the degree of haemagglutination did not parallel the induction of the chemiluminescence response. Haemolysin-negative bacteria with different adhesins induced more 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid as compared to haemolysin-positive bacteria, which generated more leukotriene B4 as compared to 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid. Among the leukotrienes, more leukotriene B4 as compared to leukotriene C4 was released from peripheral leucocytes. Studies with rat mast cells showed that histamine release was dependent on the haemolysin activity expressed by washed bacteria or present within the bacterial culture supernatant. Histamine release was markedly diminished when haemolysin activity decayed. Several haemolysin-negative bacteria with defined adhesins also released histamine, suggesting that, in addition to haemolysin, other factors contribute to mediator release. Thus, various properties of bacteria (e.g. adhesins, haemolysin) may participate to varying degrees in the induction of inflammatory mediators, e.g. oxygen radicals, lipoxygenase transformation products, leucotrienes and histamine.