Hydrogen peroxide modulation of the superoxide anion production by stimulated neutrophils.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) pretreatment of human neutrophils results in a suppression of the superoxide anion (O2) production in response to surface-acting stimulants such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and opsonized zymosan. This effect was not observed when phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) were used as a stimuli. Since the response to PMA and other stimuli was unimpaired by preincubation with H2O2, we assume that the H2O2 modulated O2 production is probably due to alteration of the LPS receptor conformation rather than effecting directly NADPH-oxidase. The balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by neutrophils in the state of sepsis may thus be autoregulated by negative feedback phenomena of locally produced H202.