Effects of inadequate vitamin E and/or selenium nutrition on the release of arachidonic acid metabolites in rat alveolar macrophages.

Effects of vitamin E and/or selenium (Se) deficiency on the secretion of arachidonic acid metabolites by zymosan-stimulated pulmonary alveolar macrophages (AM) were examined using cells from male Long-Evans hooded rats fed torula-yeast based diets with or without the supplementation of vitamin E (150 IU/kg) or Se (0.5 mg/kg). Alveolar macrophages obtained by lavage were purified by adherence and cultured for 4 h in Hank's balanced salt solution containing bovine serum albumin (0.1%) and zymosan (300 micrograms/ml). The arachidonic acid metabolites present in the culture supernatant were measured by radioimmunoassay. Altered vitamin E and Se nutrition had no effect on the number of cells or cell types recovered from the pulmonary airways. Alveolar macrophages derived from animals fed on diets deficient in vitamin E or Se or both nutrients secreted higher levels of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2. Levels of both 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and leukotriene B4 were significantly increased only in the group fed the diet adequate in Se but deficient in vitamin E. Our data suggest that vitamin E and Se might play an important role to control the levels of several physiologically and pathologically important arachidonic acid metabolites.