Effects of protein kinase C and phospholipase C inhibitors on IgE-dependent and IgE-independent basophil histamine release.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN

This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of two protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors (staurosporine and chelerythrine) and one phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor (U73122) on basophil histamine release induced by anti-IgE, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), IL-3 and GM-CSF.

METHODS

Leukocytes were suspended in solutions containing physiological or low Na+ concentrations, since IL-3 and GM-CSF were shown to induce histamine release only when the inhibitory effect of extracellular Na+ has been removed. After incubation with PKC and PLC inhibitors, the stimuli were added and histamine release was measured by an automated fluorometric method.

RESULTS

Staurosporine and chelerythrine exerted a significant inhibitory effect on histamine release induced by anti-IgE, IL-3 and GM-CSF at concentrations much higher than those required to inhibit PKC. FMLP-induced histamine release in a physiological Na+-containing medium was not significantly modified by staurosporine, although it was reduced by high concentrations of chelerythrine. A slight inhibition by high concentrations of staurosporine was found when basophils were suspended in a low Na+ medium. U73122 exerted a significant and dose-dependent inhibitory effect on basophil histamine release induced by anti-IgE, FMLP, IL-3 and GM-CSF.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that a prodegranulatory role of PKC in basophil histamine release induced by anti-IgE, FMLP, IL-3 and GM-CSF is unlikely; conversely, it is conceivable that PLC has a role in signal transduction and histamine release induced by the above stimuli.