Esterification of 12(S)-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid into the phospholipids of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: inhibition of the proliferative response.

12-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), the lipoxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid produced by activated platelets, has been shown to accumulate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of elderly people. 12-HETE being antimitogenic for lymphocytes, its accumulation in blood cells might be involved in the well-known decline in immune function which accompanies aging. Because HETEs have been shown to be rapidly metabolized and/or incorporated into cellular lipids in a variety of cell types, we have investigated the uptake, metabolism, and intracellular distribution of exogenous 12-HETE by human PBMC. [3H]-12-HETE was dose and time dependently incorporated by PBMC and also metabolized to more polar products. These polar metabolites were mainly released extracellularly and only marginally esterfied in phospholipids. Although [3H]-12-HETE radiolabel was preferentially associated with phosphatidylcholine, especially after prolonged labeling incubations or following successive short labeling pulses, a substantial amount of radiolabel was also found associated with phosphatidylinositol (20-50% of the labeled phospholipids). The stability of 12-HETE in the phospholipid pool was comparable to that reported for most other cell types, with 50% of the initial radiolabel being still present after 18 hr. Upon exposure to mitogenic activation, 12-HETE-labeled PBMC released unmodified 12-HETE from phosphatidylinositol. In addition, 12-HETE dose dependently inhibited the proliferative response of PBMC to Con A stimulation. These results suggest that 12-HETE esterification in phospholipids might lead to the generation of unusual lipid second messengers with impaired capacity to transduce activation signals, thus decreasing lymphocyte function.