Stimulation of the 15-lipoxygenase in activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils. Influence of lipoxygenase inhibitors and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid derivatives.

Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) have previously been reported to stimulate the relatively inactive 15-lipoxygenase in A23187-activated human neutrophils to metabolize exogenously added arachidonic acid to 15-HETE. Several aspects of this HETE-induced activation process were examined. Pretreatment of intact PMNs with 3-20 microM 15-HETE, A23187 and the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor NDGA (or the dual cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor BW755C) followed by [14C]arachidonic acid addition resulted in an unexpected synergistic activation of the cryptic 15-lipoxygenase activity. The ability of several HETE derivatives or analogues to stimulate the inactive 15-lipoxygenase was also investigated. The presence of the hydroxyl group but not its position was essential since 5-, 12- and 15-HETE were approximately equipotent and about ten times more effective than arachidonic acid. 5-HETE was more potent than 5-HETE methyl ester which suggested that a free carboxyl group was important. Both 5-HPETE and 5.15-diHETE were found to be less potent than 5-HETE. The C18 hydroxy fatty acid analogues 9- and 13-HODE were the least effective activators of the PMN 15-lipoxygenase activity that were tested.