Secretion of leukotriene C and other arachidonic acid metabolites by macrophages challenged with immunoglobulin E immune complexes.

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Abstract
Resident mouse peritoneal macrophages release the slow-reacting substance leukotriene C (LTC) on exposure to particulate IgE immune complexes. Because these cells lose their responsiveness to an IgE stimulus after 4 h in culture, maximum release of 20:4 metabolites is observed before this time. A similar diminution in 20:4 metabolism was not observed with a zymosan stimulus. Freshly explanted cells were deficient in intracellular glutathione (GSH) (12.4 .+-. 0.4 pmol/.mu.g cell protein), but GSH increased to a steady state value of 30-35 pmol/.mu.g of cell protein at 3-9 h of culture. Because GSH is required for the synthesis of LTC and prostaglandin (PG)E2, cultures challenged immediately after explanation had a diminished capacity to synthesize these 20:4 metabolites and release prostacyclin [PGI2] as the major product. By 4-5 h in culture, macrophages form significant amounts of LTC and PGE2. Under optimum conditions of maximum responsiveness to an IgE stimulus and GSH content (after 4 h of culture), macrophages challenged with latex beads coated with IgE immune complexes synthesize 1.0 .+-. 0.3 pmol of LTC/.mu.g cell protein (60 .+-. 18 pmol/106 cells) in addition to PGI2 (8.2 .+-. 0.8 pmol/.mu.g cell protein) and PGE2 (4.7 .+-. 1.5 pmol/.mu.g cell protein). These amounts were quantitatively similar to the arachidonic acid metabolites produced by macrophages challenged with IgG immune complex-coated latex beads or zymosan. Macrophages produce large quantities of LTC and other 20:4 metabolites in response to particle-bound IgE and antigen, provided that the appropriate in vitro conditions are met. The macrophage might be a major source of slow-reacting substance and other 20:4 metabolites generated during IgE-mediated reactions in vivo.