Enhancement by monokines of leukotriene generation by human eosinophils and neutrophils stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187.

Human blood eosinophils and neutrophils that had been incubated with the supernatants of cultures of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated blood mononuclear cells demonstrated respective enhanced abilities to produce immunoreactive leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and immunoreactive leukotriene B4 (LTB4) after activation by the calcium ionophore A23187. Under optimal conditions, the enhancing effect was observed with the eosinophils (n = 21) and the neutrophils (n = 14) from all but one donor of each type of granulocyte. Enhancement was maximum when granulocytes were preincubated with a 1/3 dilution of LPS-stimulated mononuclear cell culture supernatants for 1 to 2.5 min and were then stimulated with 2.5 microM ionophore for 1 to 2 min (neutrophils) or 15 min (eosinophils). Maximal enhancement ranged from 20 to 4500% for LTC4 generation by eosinophils (geometric mean, 87%) and from 30 to 1600% for LTB4 generation by neutrophils (geometric mean, 105%). There was no enhancement of leukotriene biosynthesis when the LPS-stimulated mononuclear cell culture supernatants and ionophore were added simultaneously to the granulocytes. The enhancing activity for LTC4 generation by eosinophils was removed by washing the cells after the addition of the LPS-stimulated mononuclear cell culture supernatants and before the introduction of ionophore. This enhancing activity was produced by Ig-, Leu-1- adherent blood mononuclear cells, which are presumed to be monocytes; supernatants of adherent cells augmented A23187-induced LTC4 generation by eosinophils from 21 to 2300% (geometric mean, 402%) in 11 experiments and LTB4 generation by neutrophils from 7 to 200% (geometric mean, 60%) in 10 experiments. There was an inverse correlation between the percent enhancement and the LTC4 levels produced by stimulated eosinophils in the absence of the monokine(s) (r = -0.79, p less than 0.01), but not between percent enhancement and the LTB4 levels generated by ionophore-activated neutrophils in the control buffer. The activity of the monocyte-derived enhancing material on each type of granulocyte was relatively heat stable. Enhancement of eosinophil production of LTC4 was associated with an acidic group of monocyte-derived molecules having isoelectric points of 4.2 to 4.3, 4.5 to 4.6, and 4.9, and exhibiting marked heterogeneity in size.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)