Enhanced phospholipase A2 and C activities of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Increased concentrations of eicosanoids are found in synovial fluids (SF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). SF polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), which derive from peripheral blood, usually account for approximately 90% of the cells in RA SF. Since eicosanoid precursor fatty acids (FA) are liberated by phospholipases from membrane phospholipids, we examined phospholipase A2 and C activities in peripheral blood PMN from patients with RA. Peripheral blood PMN from patients with RA (RA-PMN) exhibit greater phospholipase A2 activities against phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and greater phospholipase C activities against PC, PE, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) than PMN obtained from normal volunteers (N-PMN).