Diacylglycerols enhance human neutrophil degranulation responses: relevancy to a multiple mediator hypothesis of cell function.

At 10 microM, 1-0-oleoyl-, 1-0-palmitoyl-, and 1-0-myristoyl-2-0-acetyl-glycerol weakly stimulated neutrophils to release lysozyme, an enzyme in secondary granules, but had no such effect on the release of a primary granule enzyme, beta-glucuronidase. The glycerides (1-10 microM) had a second effect on both granule populations: they enhanced the degranulating potencies of leukotriene B4, platelet-activating factor, a formylated oligopeptide, and C5a by 10- to 30-fold. In contrast, they were much less effective in enhancing responses to ionophore A23187 and partially inhibited responses to phorbol myristate acetate. The diether analogue, 1-0-hexadecyl-2-0-ethylglycerol was inactive in these regards. We suggest that diacylglycerols are a novel class of bioactive products mobilized from phosphoglycerides in stimulated neutrophils; as co-products of this mobilization, platelet-activating factor and leukotriene B4 may interact with diacylglycerols to promote cell function.