Lipoxygenase pathways of macrophages.

Resident mouse peritoneal macrophages when exposed to zymosan during the first day of cell culture synthesize and secrete large amounts of prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene (LT) C4, the respective products of cyclooxygenase- and 5-lipoxygenase-catalyzed oxygenations of arachidonic acid. Under these conditions of cell stimulation only small amounts of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) are concomitantly produced. However, exogenously added arachidonic acid is metabolized to large amounts of 12- and 15-HETE. No LTC4 is formed under these conditions. Inasmuch as 12- and 15-HETE have been shown to modulate certain lymphocyte responses, further study of the regulation of their production by macrophages is warranted.