Release of peptide leukotrienes from rat Kupffer cells

The peptide leukotriene C4 D4, and E4 (LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4) are derived from arachidonic acid via a lipoxigenase pathway and are potent mediators of inflammation and allergy. It is also reported that Kupffer cells may have the capacity to influnece imflammatory events in chronic liver diseases. In this study, to clarify the relation of leukotrienes to liver injury, we have examined the release of LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4 from rat Kupffer cells in vitro. Kupffer cell suspensions (5×105cells/ml) in modified Tyrode's solution incubated with the calcium ionophore A23187 (1μg/ml). The incubation proceeded for 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60min at 37°C and was stopped with 4-fold of ice-cold ethanol. Leukotrienes were assayed using combined technique of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. When activated in vitro with the calcium ionophore A23187, Kupffer cells generated LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4. Thus, our studies indicate that Kupffer cells also could generate LTC4 LTD4, and LTE4 as well as polymorphonuclear leukocytes or monocytes. In addition, it is suggested that Kupffer cells maybe able to modify inflammatory and immunologic events in liver tissue by the release of LTC4 LTD4, and LTE4.