This Article Order Full text via Infotrieve Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by O'Flaherty, J. T. Articles by Ward, P. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by O'Flaherty, J. T. Articles by Ward, P. A.

American Journal of Pathology, Vol 95, 433-444, Copyright © 1979 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

REGULAR ARTICLES

Neutrophil aggregation and degranulation. Effect of arachidonic acid

JT O'Flaherty, HJ Showell, EL Becker and PA Ward

In response to aggregating and degranulating stimuli, platelets metabolize endogenous arachidonic acid to bioactive derivatives. These derivatives can stimulate platelets to degranulate and aggregate and, therefore, may be mediators of the platelet response. Because exogenous arachidonic acid also stimulates platelets to degranulate, aggregate, and form these mediators, we examined the effect of adding arachidonic acid to purified human neutrophil suspensions. Micromolar concentrations of arachidonic acid stimulated neutrophils to aggregate but not to degranulate. Cytochalasin B, a potentiator of neutrophil responses to chemotactic factors, also potentiated the arachidonic-acid- induced aggregation response; 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, an inhibitor of arachidonic acid metabolism, blocked this response. Aggregation of neutrophils, was not stimulated by several fatty acids with structural similarity to arachidonic acid. These results suggest that metabolic derivatives of arachidonic acid may be active in stimulating certain neutrophil responses. The role of these derivatives in mediating neutrophil responses to various stimuli needs to be examined.