Arachidonic acid activates a proton conductance pathway and the Na+/H+ exchanger in platelets.

The treatment of aspirinated platelets with the endomembrane Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (Tg) induces a large increase in cytosolic pH (pH1), as measured with the intracellular fluorescent indicator 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein. In contrast, Tg induces a decrease in pH1 in the presence of the Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor 5-(N,N-hexamethylene)-amiloride (NHA). Both effects are inhibited if the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]1) is chelated by loading with bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid tetra-acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA-AM). Without BAPTA, the pH effects are inhibited in the presence of BSA or the phospholipase A2 inhibitor oleoyloxyethylphosphocholine. These observations are consistent with the Tg-induced pH effects being mediated at least in part by the release of arachidonic acid (ArA) on activation of phospholipase A2 by the increased [Ca2+]1. Exogenous ArA promotes a rapid decrease in pH1 in platelets suspended in a high-[Na+] medium, and an increase in pH1 if platelets are depolarized by suspension in a high-[K+] medium in the presence of valinomycin and the external pH is increased to 7.9. The protonophore carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxy-phenylhydrazone (FCCP) behaves like ArA, although ArA is not a protonophore. It is concluded that ArA activates a proton conductance across the plasma membrane. The latter is inhibited by La3+. In high-[Na+] media, the pH1 previously decreased by ArA recovers rapidly on removal of ArA with BSA. The effect is prevented by NHA. The recovery after BSA is much slower if FCCP rather than ArA is used to decrease pH1, but it is fast again with both ArA and FCCP. Furthermore, pH1 previously decreased by ArA also recovers readily on inhibition of the ArA-activated H+ conductance with La3+, and the effect is NHA-sensitive. When pH1 is decreased with the K+/H+ ionophore nigericin, a rapid recovery is activated by ArA followed by BSA (but not by BSA alone). The effect is independent of Ca2+ and protein kinase C. It is concluded that ArA, besides activating the H+ conductance, also acts as an activator of the Na+/H+ exchanger.