Complement-mediated arachidonate metabolism.

The leukotrienes are important mediators of numerous responses in lung tissue. Both direct injury and immune injury result in the production of these arachidonate products. Several cellular components participate in the immune surveillance system including monocytes, mast cells and PMNs. Each cell type produces different quantities and types of leukotrienes in response to ionophore (A23187) activation. A common feature shared by each of these cells is control of arachidonic acid metabolism at the level of the 5-lipoxygenase. One provocative interpretation of our results is that the 5-lipoxygenase is activated by C5a and that concomitant modulation of 5-lipoxygenase activity provides a means whereby arachidonic acid metabolism is directed in these cells to either the cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase pathway. Another common feature that these cells share is that they utilize arachidonic acid mobilized from other cells such as stimulated platelets, certain monocytes, or even damaged tissue. For example, free nonesterified arachidonic acid has been measured at 100 microM in inflamed tissue. Therefore, fluctuations in exogenous arachidonate levels may provide a significant modulation of the inflammatory response by controlling the levels of lipoxygenase products formed by leukocytes. In this scenario the humoral factor C5a is the initiator of the host's response to provide a variety of functional arachidonate products. Another feature that the cellular components of the immune system share is that they may utilize other exogenous lipid substrates. In this case, a lipid product of one cell type may serve as a signal or substrate for a second cell's lipoxygenase pathway. This hypothesis may explain the apparent synergy observed in this and other studies when mixed cell populations were activated. Several hydroperoxy lipids are proposed to be regulatory for the lipoxygenase pathway. Another valid interpretation could be that 5-hyperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid and LTA4 produced in one cell may diffuse to another cell and be utilized by the lipoxygenase pathway of that cell type. From the results of this study we conclude that the secondary mediator profile obtained when cells are activated by arachidonic acid and C5a depends on the cell composition. We can extend this interpretation of our results to explain two seemingly opposite results obtained when C5a is administered to experimental animals either intrabronchially or intravenously. Future evaluations of the biological effects of C5a should therefore take into consideration the composition of the cells at the target tissue site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)