Chemoattractant efficacy: oxidation of stimulus by responding cells.

Although all human neutrophils have receptors for formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, only 20-30% migrate in vitro at optimal attractant concentrations. Since this attractant can be oxidized by myeloperoxidase from stimulated neutrophils, we determined if its efficacy was increased by protection from oxidation. Efficacy was increased by reducing agents and by molecules with oxidizable sulfur, 10(-5) M methionine or 1.5 X 10(-6) M albumin. The antioxidant effect was on the attractant, not the cells: albumin in the cell compartment did not increase responses. Furthermore, antioxidants had no effect on efficacy of fNle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys, an attractant that also stimulated superoxide release but had no oxidizable sulfur.