Enhancement of platelet 12-HETE production in the presence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes during calcium ionophore stimulation

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of platelet/neutrophil interactions on eicosanoid production. Human platelets and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) were stimulated alone and in combination, with calcium ionophore A23187 and the resulting eicosanoids 12S-hydroxy-(5Z,8Z,10E,14Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), 12S-heptadecatrienoic acid (HHT), 5S,12R-dihydroxy-(6Z,8E,10E,14Z)-eicosatetraenoi c acid (LTB4) and 5S-hydroxy-(6E,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) were measured by HPLC. The addition of PMNs to platelet suspensions caused a 104% increase in 12-HETE, a product of 12-lipoxygenase activity, but had only a modest effect on the cyclooxygenase product HHT (increase of 18%). By using PMNs labelled with [14C]arachidonic acid it was shown that the increases in these platelet eicosanoids could be accounted for by translocation of released arachidonic acid from PMNs to platelets and its subsequent metabolism. The observation that 12-lipoxygenase was about five times more efficient than cyclooxygenase at utilising exogenous arachidonic acid during the platelet/PMN interactions was confirmed in experiments in which platelets were stimulated with A23187 in the presence of [14C]arachidonic acid. Stimulations of platelets with thrombin in the presence of PMNs resulted in a decrease in 12-HETE and HHT levels of 40% and 26%, respectively. The presence of platelets caused a small increase in neutrophil LTB4 output but resulted in a decrease in 5-HETE production of 43% during stimulation with A23187. This study demonstrates complex biochemical interactions between platelets and PMNs during eicosanoid production and provides evidence of a mechanism to explain the large enhancement in 12-HETE production.