Production of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid metabolites by human bronchoalveolar lavage cells.

Fatty acid-derived inflammatory mediators are considered to play an important role in airway hyperresponsiveness of asthmatic patients. The pulmonary macrophage may be an important source for these mediators in airway tissue. We investigated the metabolism of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid by human bronchoalveolar lavage cells, mainly comprising pulmonary macrophages. Arachidonic was mainly metabolized by 5-lipoxygenase, giving rise to the formation of leukotriene B4 and 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). Linoleic acid was converted to 5 major metabolites, including the 9-hydroxy and 13-hydroxy derivatives, 9- and 13-hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid (9- and 13-HODE). The formation of HODEs could be inhibited by cyclooxygenase inhibitors as well as lipoxygenase inhibitors, indicating that both enzymic species play a role in the generation of HODEs.