Stimulation of P2 purinergic receptors induces the release of eosinophil cationic protein and interleukin‐8 from human eosinophils

Abstract
1. Extracellular nucleotides are the focus of increasing attention for their role as extracellular mediators since they are released into the extracellular environment in a regulated manner and/or as a consequence of cell damage. 2. Here, we show that human eosinophils stimulated with different nucleotides release eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and the chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8), and that release of these two proteins has a different nucleotide requirement. 3. Release of ECP was triggered in a dose-dependent manner by ATP, UTP and UDP, but not by 2'-&3'-o-(4-benzoyl-benzoyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate (BzATP), ADP and alpha,beta-methylene adenosine 5' triphosphate (alpha,beta-meATP). Release of IL-8 was triggered by UDP, ATP, alpha,beta-meATP and BzATP, but not by UTP or ADP. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin abrogated nucleotide-stimulated ECP but not IL-8 release. 4. Release of IL-8 stimulated by BzATP was fully blocked by the P2X(7) blocker KN-62, while release triggered by ATP was only partially inhibited. IL-8 secretion due to UDP was fully insensitive to KN-62 inhibition. 5. Priming of eosinophils with GM-CSF increased IL-8 secretion irrespectively of the nucleotide used as a stimulant. 6. It is concluded that extracellular nucleotides trigger secretion of ECP by stimulating a receptor of the P2Y subfamily (possibly P2Y(2)), while, on the contrary, nucleotide-stimulated secretion of IL-8 can be due to activation of both P2Y (P2Y(6)) and P2X (P2X(1) and P2X(7)) receptors.