Biphasic effects of cyclosporin A on formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulated responses in HL-60 cells differentiated into neutrophils.

The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA) depresses neutrophil oxidative burst which may lead to an increased susceptibility to infection in transplant patients. Using specific CsA analogues we investigated the mechanism of inhibition of the oxidative burst and evaluated short and long-term effects of CsA on dimethylsulphoxide-differentiated HL-60 neutrophils. A biphasic pattern was observed: a 4 h pre-treatment with CsA (1 microM) diminished the fMLP induced [Ca2+]c rise, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and beta-glucuronidase release by about 40%, whereas a 20 h pre-treatment increased these responses by about 1.5 fold. [MeVal4]CsA, which binds with high affinity to cyclophilin but inhibits the interaction of the CsA-cyclophilin complex with calcineurin, blocked the stimulation observed with CsA after a 20 h incubation but did not alter the CsA effects after a 4 h pre-treatment. PSC 833 (1 microM), a potent multi drug resistance transporter (MDR) inhibitor, diminished ROS production to the same extent as a 4 h CsA incubation but was ineffective after a 20 h pre-treatment. An involvement of MDR as a basis for CsA or PSC 833 action was ruled out based on the results of the calcein retention assay. [3H]CsA uptake showed that CsA and [MeVal4]CsA, but not CsH or PSC 833 were strongly taken up and retained by the cells. In conclusion, the reduction of the responses after 4 h appear to be due to a primary reduction of calcium signalling, while the enhanced responses after 20 h may be due to calcineurin inhibition.