Rat liver mitochondrial phospholipase A2 is an endotoxin-stimulated membrane-associated enzyme of Kupffer cells which is released during liver perfusion.

A novel fluorescence assay for phospholipase A2 [Wilton (1990) Biochem. J. 266, 435-439] has been used to study the Group-II rat liver mitochondrial enzyme, and a number of novel properties of this enzyme were identified. (1) The enzyme activity was located in the liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) while negligible activity was associated with hepatocytes. (2) Although subcellular fractionation of whole liver confirmed the predominantly mitochondrial location of this enzyme activity, the analysis of the hepatocyte-free Kupffer-cell-enriched fraction revealed a different enzyme distribution, with the majority of activity being associated with the microsomal membrane fraction. (3) Bacterial endotoxin has been previously shown to be scavenged by Kupffer cells in rats. Treatment of rats with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) resulted in a dramatic time- and dose-dependent increase in liver phospholipase A2 activity. (4) It is known that injection of endotoxin into rodents results in elevated serum phospholipase A2 activity, while a similar phenomenon is seen in the condition of septic shock in man. The source of this serum enzyme was unknown. In this study perfusion of livers from rats pretreated with lipopolysaccharide with physiological saline demonstrated a 6-fold increase in phospholipase A2 activity in the perfusate compared with sham-treated controls, with only minor release of hepatic lipase. (5) Western-blot analysis confirmed an increased release of this Group-II phospholipase A2 into the perfusate of lipopolysaccharide-treated rats compared with sham-treated controls. These results suggest that liver Kupffer cells are a major source of the endotoxin-induced serum Group-II phospholipase A2 activity associated with bacterial infection and trauma.