Effect of phagocytosis and ionophores on release and metabolism of arachidonic acid from human neutrophils.

Challenge of human neutrophils prelabeled with [3H] arachidonate and [14C] palmitate or [14C]-stearate with opsonized zymosan or the Ca2+ ionophores A23187 or Ionomycin caused the release of [3H], but not [14C], fatty acid. With the ionophores, but not zymosan, considerable conversion of the [3H] arachidonate to hydroxyeicosatetraenoates occurred. Although various isomers were recovered, the 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoate appeared to be the major product. In these experiments, no [14C] products were detected such as lysophospholipid, diglyceride or monoglyceride. Although no definite statement can be made about the mechanism of release of arachidonate, our data are most easily interpreted as the result of the action of a phospholipase A2.