STUDIES ON STIMULATION OF CAMP METABOLISM BY HEPARIN SOLUTIONS CONTAINING BENZYL ALCOHOL

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 2  (4) , 297-305
Abstract
Heparin solutions containing benzyl alcohol as a preservative increase intracellular c[cyclic]AMP concentrations in human lymphocytes by as much as 5-fold. Similar changes but of a lesser magnitude were also observed in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and platelets and rabbit alveolar macrophages. Benzyl alcohol used as a preservative was responsible for this finding and heparin per se had no effect on cAMP metabolism. The cAMP response to benzyl alcohol was a time- and dose-dependent process. In human peripheral blood lymphocytes, cAMP levels increased in a linear fashion over a benzyl alcohol concentration range from 0.015-0.30% vol/vol. The increased cAMP concentrations in lymphocytes as measured by radioimmunoassay were not due to formation of a cross-reacting adenosine-alcohol adduct since the immunoreactive material produced was destroyed by phosphodiesterase and co-migrated with 3H-cAMP in TLC studies. Concentrations of benzyl alcohol which affect cAMP metabolism are commonly present in biologic studies employing heparin solutions. Certain previously described effects of heparin may need to be reinterpreted and heparin solutions containing benzyl alcohol should not be used when studying biologic processes known to be influenced by alterations in cAMP metabolism.

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