Influence of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and eritoran (E5564) micelle size on its plasma pharmacokinetics and ex vivo activity following single intravenous bolus dose into healthy female rabbits.

PURPOSE: Eritoran (E5564) is a glycophospholipid that acts as a toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonist that is being tested as a treatment for severe sepsis and septic shock. In the blood, eritoran binds to plasma lipoproteins altering its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects in vivo. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of changes in plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations on the plasma pharmacokinetics and ex vivo activity of eritoran following single intravenous bolus dosing of eritoran to healthy female rabbits fed either a regular chow diet or a cholesterol-enriched diet. This was done with eritoran administered as stable micelle formulations of mean hydrodynamic diameters of 8 or 27 nm). METHODS: Female New Zealand White rabbits were fed a standard diet for 7 days and then randomly assigned either a regular chow diet [regular-diet (n = 9)] or a cholesterol-enriched diet [cholesterol-diet (n = 12)] for an additional 7 days. Following feeding of these diets a single intravenous bolus dose of eritoran (0.5 mg/kg) formulated into either "small micelles" (8 nm in diameter) or "large micelles" (27 nm in diameter) was administered to regular-fed and cholesterol-fed rabbits. Serial blood samples were obtained prior to eritoran administration and at the following times post injection: 0.083 (5 min), 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 24, 48 and 72 h. Plasma was analyzed for eritoran concentrations using LC/MS/MS. Total plasma cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels were quantified using enzymatic kits. Plasma eritoran pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were estimated by non-compartmental analysis using the WinNonlin nonlinear estimation program. To analyze PD activity, whole blood obtained at 0.083 (5 min), 2, 24, 48 and 72 h following eritoran administration was assessed for ex vivo activity by measuring the ability of 1 and 10 ng/ml LPS to elicit TNF-alpha release. RESULTS: Total plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in cholesterol-fed rabbits compared to the rabbits fed a regular chow diet. Diet had no effect on the estimated plasma PK parameters. However, PD activity of both small and large micelle eritoran as measured by an ex vivo challenge dose of 1 ng/ml LPS was reduced in blood of cholesterol-fed rabbits compared to normal-fed rabbits. Comparison of PK parameters for small and large micelles indicated that small micelles had increased AUC(0-72 h), decreased plasma clearance and increased initial concentration (measured at 5 min post administration) compared to the large micelle formulation. Consistent with this observation, eritoran formulated into small micelles had significantly greater ex vivo activity than large micelles and was independent of TC and TG concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that plasma pharmacokinetics and activity of eritoran maybe influenced by eritoran micelle size and plasma TC and TG concentrations.

Determination of sugar phosphates by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection.

We have developed an improved analytical method for the determination of sugar phosphates using sodium carbonate (Na(2)CO(3)) for high-performance anion-exchange chromatography-pulsed amperometric detection. The target analytes were separated completely within 10 min using eluent containing 20 mM NaOH and 35 mM Na(2)CO(3). The limit of detection (S/N=3) and quantitation (S/N=10) for analytes were 10-30 ng/mL and 35-100 ng/mL, respectively. Linear dynamic range was 1-30 microg/mL (r(2)> or =0.9998). The RSDs for intra- and inter-day assays were found to be of satisfactory results (0.23-3.09%), and the recoveries from blood spots were 97.62-99.69%.

Quantification of sugar phosphate intermediates of the pentose phosphate pathway by LC-MS/MS: application to two new inherited defects of metabolism.

We describe a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to quantify pentose phosphate pathway intermediates (triose-3-phosphates, tetrose-4-phosphate, pentose-5-phosphate, pentulose-5-phosphates, hexose-6-phosphates and sedoheptulose-7-phosphate (sed-7P)) in bloodspots, fibroblasts and lymphoblasts. Liquid chromatography was performed using an ion pair loaded C(18) HPLC column and detection of the sugar phosphates was carried out by tandem mass spectrometry using an electron ion spray source operating in the negative mode and multiple reaction monitoring. Reference values for the pentose phosphate pathway intermediates in blood spots, fibroblasts and lymphoblasts were established. The method was applied to cells from patients affected with a deficiency of transaldolase. The transaldolase-deficient cells showed an increased concentration of sedoheptulose-7-phosphate. (Bloodspots: 5.19 and 5.43 micromol/L [0.49-3.33 micromol/L]; fibroblasts 7.43 and 26.46 micromol/mg protein [0.31-1.14 micromol/mg protein]; lymphoblasts 16.03 micromol/mg protein [0.61-2.09 micromol/mg protein].) The method was also applied to study enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway by incubating fibroblasts or lymphoblasts homogenates with ribose-5-phosphate or 6-phosphogluconate and the subsequent analysis of the formed sugar phosphates.

Profiling of pentose phosphate pathway intermediates in blood spots by tandem mass spectrometry: application to transaldolase deficiency.

BACKGROUND: Recently, several patients with abnormal polyol profiles in body fluids have been reported, but the origins of these polyols are unknown. We hypothesized that they are derived from sugar phosphate intermediates of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and we developed a semiquantitative method for profiling of pentose phosphate pathway intermediates. METHODS: Sugar phosphates in blood spots were simultaneously analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using an ion-pair-loaded C(18) HPLC column. The tandem mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple-reaction monitoring mode. Enzymatically prepared D-[(13)C(6)]glucose 6-phosphate was used as internal standard. The method was used to study sugar phosphates abnormalities in a patient affected with a deficiency of transaldolase (TALDO1; EC 2.2.1.2). RESULTS: In control blood spots, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, pentulose 5-phosphates, pentose 5-phosphates, hexose 6-phosphates, and sedoheptulose 7-phosphate were detected. Detection limits ranged from approximately 100 to approximately 500 nmol/L. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and erythrose 4-phosphate were undetectable. Intra- and interassay imprecision (CVs) were 10-17% and 12-21%, respectively. In blood from the TALDO1-deficient patient, sedoheptulose 7-phosphate was increased. CONCLUSIONS: The new method allows investigation of patients in whom a defect in the PPP is suspected. Measurements of sugar phosphate intermediates of the PPP may provide new insights into metabolic defects underlying the accumulating polyols.

Erythrocyte galactose 1-phosphate quantified by isotope-dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Measurements of alpha-D-galactose 1-phosphate (Gal-1-P) in erythrocytes are used to monitor the adequacy of dietary therapy in the treatment of galactosemia. We have devised a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) isotope-dilution method for quantification of Gal-1-P. METHODS: We prepared trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives and used alpha-D-[2-(13)C]Gal-1-P as the internal standard for GC/MS. Results obtained with this method were compared with those determined by the established enzymatic method for samples from 23 healthy individuals (11 children and 12 adults), 9 suspected patients with galactosemia, 12 galactosemic patients on diet therapy, and 2 newly diagnosed toxic neonates. RESULTS: The method was linear up to 2.5 mmol/L with a lower limit of detection of 2.1 nmol (0.55 mg/L). Intra- and interassay imprecision (CVs) was 2.2-8.8%. In the 23 healthy individuals, values ranged from nondetectable to 9.2 micromol/L (2.4 mg/L of packed erythrocytes). Galactosemic patients on diet therapy had values of 10.9-45 mg/L of packed erythrocytes, whereas the newly identified patients had values of 166 and 373 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: The GC/MS method is precise and useful over the wide range of concentrations needed to assess the galactose burden in patients with galactosemia.

Mastoparan, a wasp venom peptide, identifies two discrete mechanisms for elevating cytosolic calcium and inositol trisphosphates in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Mastoparan, a tetradecapeptide toxin from wasp venom stimulates secretion in mast cells and enhances GTPase activity of several purified guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins). This suggests that this toxin may effect cellular functions through activation of G proteins. In this report, we probed the effects of mastoparan on cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) formation in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). At noncytotoxic concentrations up to 35 microM, mastoparan induced a dose-dependent elevation in [Ca2+]i in PMN, as determined by the fluoroprobe Fura 2. The increase in [Ca2+]i was attained through two discrete processes involving an initial rapid and transient calcium rise followed by a slower sustained increase. The initial but not the second [Ca2+]i increase was absent in PMN pretreated with pertussis toxin. The second but not the first [Ca2+]i rise required external calcium. The kinetics of [Ca2+]i changes and dependency on extracellular calcium induced by mastoparan correlated with the production of IP3. Pertussis toxin inhibited only the initial phase of IP3 production. The ability of pertussis toxin to ADP-ribosylate Gi-like proteins in PMN membrane was potentiated in the presence of mastoparan. Thus, mastoparan activates phospholipase C in PMN through two independent mechanisms. The first pathway is similar to that induced by chemoattractant receptors in that the rapid and transient activation of phospholipase C is dependent on a pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi protein. The second pathway is delayed, sustained, insensitive to pertussis toxin, and requires extracellular calcium.

Structures and metabolism of inositol tetrakisphosphates and inositol pentakisphosphate in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells.

In adrenal glomerulosa cells, angiotensin II stimulates rapid increases in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins-1,4,5-P3) and inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (Ins-1,3,4,5-P4), followed by slower increases in two additional inositol tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) isomers. One of these InsP4 isomers was previously identified as Ins-1,3,4,6-P4 and shown to be a precursor of inositol pentakisphosphate (InsP5). Analysis of the third InsP4 isomer, purified from cultured bovine adrenal cells labeled with [3H]inositol and stimulated by angiotensin II, revealed that the polyol produced by periodate oxidation, borohydrate reduction, and dephosphorylation was [3H]iditol. This finding is consistent with precursor structures of either Ins-1,4,5,6-P4 or Ins-3,4,5,6-P4 (= L-Ins-1,4,5,6-P4) for the third InsP4 isomer. The [3H]iditol was readily converted to [3H]sorbose by the stereospecific enzyme, L-iditol dehydrogenase, indicating that it originated from Ins-3,4,5,6-P4. Chicken erythrocytes labeled with [3H]inositol also contained high levels of Ins-1,3,4,6-P4 and Ins-3,4,5,6-P4, as well as InsP5, but only small amounts of Ins-1,3,4,5-P4. Both [3H]Ins-1,3,4,6-P4 and [3H]Ins-3,4,5,6-P4, but not [3H]Ins-1,3,4,5-P4, were phosphorylated to form InsP5 in permeabilized bovine glomerulosa cells. In addition, InsP5 itself was slowly dephosphorylated to Ins-1,4,5,6-P4, indicating that its structure is Ins-1,3,4,5,6-P5. These results demonstrate that the higher inositol phosphates are metabolically interrelated and are linked to the receptor-regulated InsP3 response by the conversion of Ins-1,3,4-P3 through Ins-1,3,4,6-P4 to Ins-1,3,4,5,6-P5. The source of Ins-3,4,5,6-P4, the other precursor of InsP5, is not yet known but its elevation in angiotensin II-stimulated glomerulosa cells suggests that its formation is also influenced by agonist-regulated processes.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis in turkey erythrocytes is regulated by P2y purinoceptors.

When intact [3H]inositol-loaded turkey erythrocytes were stimulated with the purinergic agonist ADP, there was a rapid increase (2.5-fold after 30 sec) in the intracellular content of [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, followed by increases in the levels of [3H]inositol bisphosphate and [3H]inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (4-fold and 5-fold, respectively, after 3 min). [3H]inositol monophosphate levels did not rise in the first 3 min of ADP stimulation but increased slowly thereafter, demonstrating that the primary response of turkey erythrocytes to purinergic stimulation is hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Inositol phosphate accumulation was evoked by a P2y purinoceptor, as indicated by the rank order of potencies of a variety of purinergic agonists. 2-Methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate was the most potent agonist tested, with an EC50 value of 0.36 microM. High performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated the presence of three distinct inositol tetrakisphosphate isomers in [3H]inositol-loaded turkey erythrocytes, inositol 1,3,4,6-tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5)P4], inositol 1,3,4,6-tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,6)P4], and inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate. Prolonged stimulation with adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate), a nonhydrolyzable analogue of ADP, resulted in a 60-fold increase in the level of [3H]Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, whereas a substantial rise in the [3H]Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 fraction was also seen. These results indicate that turkey erythrocytes represent a valuable model system for studies of purinoceptor function as well as fundamental aspects of cell surface receptor-regulated phosphoinositide metabolism.

Inhibition of protein kinase C by staurosporine promotes elevated accumulations of inositol trisphosphates and tetrakisphosphate in human platelets exposed to thrombin.

We have examined regulation by protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme) of thrombin-induced inositol polyphosphate accumulation in human platelets. When platelets are exposed to thrombin for 10 s, the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine causes inositol phosphate elevations over control values of 2.7-fold (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3], 1.9-fold (inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (Ins(1,3,4,5)P4], and 1.2-fold (inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate). In the same period, phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol are unaffected. The myosin light chain kinase inhibitor ML-7 has no effect on inositol phosphate accumulations. Staurosporine does not inhibit Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase and 5-phosphomonoesterase activities in saponin-permeabilized platelets incubated with exogenous Ins(1,4,5)P3 unless the platelets have been exposed to thrombin and protein kinase C is consequently activated. The protein kinase C agonist beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate increases the Vmax of the 3-kinase 1.8-fold, with little effect on Km. Our results provide strong evidence for a role for protein kinase C in regulating inositol phosphate levels in thrombin-activated platelets. We propose that endogenously activated protein kinase C removes Ins(1,4,5)P3 by stimulating both 5-phosphomonoesterase and Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase. Initial activation of phospholipase C does not appear to be affected by such protein kinase C. Inhibition of protein kinase C by staurosporine decreases 5-phosphomonoesterase activity. The resulting elevated Ins(1,4,5)P3, as substrate for Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase, promotes production of Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, which also may accumulate through decreased 5-phosphomonoesterase activity and elevated Ca2+ levels. These factors apparently counteract the inhibitory effect on 3-kinase, yielding a net increase in Ins(1,3,4,5)P4.

Comparison of computer simulations of the F-type and L-type non-oxidative hexose monophosphate shunts with 31P-NMR experimental data from human erythrocytes.

Mathematical modelling was used to predict the behaviour of the two most favoured schemes for the operation of the non-oxidative hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS), the F-type and the L-type pathways. The models simulate the time courses of sugar-phosphate concentrations when various substrates are metabolized via each pathway. A 31P-NMR technique, with which to observe time courses of concentrations of sugar phosphates in a human red cell lysate, was developed. The accuracy of each hypothesised scheme was then evaluated by comparing predicted with observed data. The results were more consistent with time courses of sugar-phosphate levels predicted by the F-type (classical) pathway than those predicted by the L-type model. However, the accumulation of sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate when a haemolysate was incubated with ribose 5-phosphated showed that the F-type pathway is not a complete description of the system of reactions. Transaldolase was demonstrated to be essential for the normal metabolism of sugar phosphates by haemolysates. The effects of the heat-inactivation of transaldolase on the metabolism of sugar phosphates were accurately predicted by the F-type model. The relevance of attempting to describe the reaction of the non-oxidative HMS as a distinct 'pathway' or 'cycle' is discussed.

Relationship of inositol phospholipid metabolism to phospholipase A2.

The mechanism by which agonists stimulate phospholipase A2 of platelets is still much of a mystery. We have presented a discussion that suggests that neither Ca2+, protein kinase C or dissociation of the inhibitory GTP-binding protein Gi is solely responsible for activating this enzyme. We cannot exclude the possibility that there may be some contribution of each pathway for some agonists, and that the contribution may change with agonist concentration or potency. These possibilities await further clarification.

Epinephrine stimulates inositol phospholipid metabolism by activating alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in human platelets.

The metabolism of inositol phospholipids in response to epinephrine was investigated in intact human platelets. In platelets prelabelled with [3H]-myo-inositol in Ca2+-free HEPES buffer containing 10 mM LiCl, epinephrine caused an accumulation of inositol-1-phosphate in a concentration-dependent manner. The EC50 value for epinephrine was 5 microM. Yohimbine (1 microM), a selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor antagonist, inhibited 88% of the epinephrine (10 microM) response, whereas prazosin (1 microM), a selective alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist, failed to inhibit the response. Yohimbine inhibited the epinephrine (10 microM) response in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibition constant (Ki) value for yohimbine was 60.3 nM. These data indicate that epinephrine stimulates phosphoinositide (PI) turnover by activating adrenergic receptors of the alpha-2 type in human platelets. In addition, this PI response elicited by epinephrine was found to be inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by treatment of platelets with dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP which are known as potent inhibitors for platelet activation, and may therefore be a useful biochemical index for the study of the function of human alpha-2 adrenergic receptors.

Subcellular localization of the enzymes that dephosphorylate myo-inositol polyphosphates in human platelets.

The phosphatase-induced hydrolysis of [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate [Ins(1,4)P2)] and [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] was studied in platelet subcellular fractions. The activity that hydrolyses Ins(1,4)P2 is cytosolic, whereas the activity that hydrolyses Ins(1,4,5)P3 is present in both particulate and cytosolic fractions. The cytosolic Ins(1,4)P2 phosphatase hydrolyses the 1-phosphate of Ins(1,4)P2, whereas the cytosolic and membrane-bound Ins(1,4,5)P3 phosphatases hydrolyse the 5-phosphate of Ins(1,4,5)P3. In the presence of ATP, it is possible to observe a cytosolic Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase that phosphorylates Ins(1,4,5)P3 to inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. Apparent Km values for the particulate and the cytosolic Ins(1,4,5)P3 phosphatases are 100 microM and 40 microM respectively. A large proportion of the membrane-associated Ins(1,4,5)P3 phosphatase can be extracted with 1 M-NaCl, and the Mr of this enzyme, as determined by hydrodynamic studies, is 49,000, whereas that of the cytosolic enzyme is 59,000. The Km values for the cytosolic Ins(1,4)P2 phosphatase is 40 microM; this enzyme has an Mr of 49,000. The highest specific activity of the Ins(1,4,5)P3 phosphatase is present in a highly purified plasma-membrane fraction.

Calcium modulates the generation of inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate in human platelets by the activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase.

We observed that more total inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) was formed when human platelets were stimulated with agonists (15-hydroxy-9,11-azo-prosta-5,13-dienoic acid or thrombin) in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ than in its absence. Analysis of the InsP3 by h.p.l.c. indicated that the increased InsP3 formed in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ was primarily the 1,3,4-trisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4)P3]. In addition, more inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) was formed in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Experiments conducted with electrically permeabilized platelets demonstrated that conversion of [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 to [3H]InsP4 in platelets was Ca2+-dependent, with half-maximal conversion observed at approx. 2.5 microM-Ca2+. By contrast, dephosphorylation of [3H]InsP4 to [3H]Ins(1,3,4)P3 was not activated by Ca2+. A partially purified preparation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase from human platelets was found to be insensitive to Ca2+, but addition of calmodulin restored Ca2+-sensitivity to the kinase, increasing its activity about 5-fold. These results show that in human platelets the metabolism of Ins(1,4,5)P3 is regulated by Ca2+-calmodulin, and suggest that the metabolites of Ins(1,4,5)P3 may also have important second-messenger functions in platelets, and are consistent with the hypothesis that the activation of phospholipase C is not dependent on extracellular Ca2+.

An inositol tetrakisphosphate-containing phospholipid in activated neutrophils.

Inositol (1,4,5)triphosphate (InsP3) and tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) have been observed in a variety of cell types and have been proposed to play roles in the receptor-mediated rise in intracellular Ca2+ (refs 2, 3). Recently, they have been shown to act synergistically in the activation of a Ca2+-dependent K+ channel in lacrimal acinar cells. InsP3 is the product of phospholipase C (PLC) action on phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP2) whereas InsP4 is believed to arise from phosphorylation of InsP3 by a cytosolic kinase. Although sought as a source for InsP4, PtdInsP3 has not been identified in any specific cell type. There were early reports of InsP4-containing phospholipids in crude extract from bovine brain, but this finding was later withdrawn. Recently, however, a membrane-bound enzyme (Type 1 PI kinase) which adds phosphate onto the 3 position of inositol phospholipids has been identified and the phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)P) product characterized. This suggests that several forms of phosphoinositides may exist and could be precursors for some of the variety of soluble inositol phosphate products which have been reported in recent years. Here we report the appearance of another novel phosphoinositide containing four phosphates, phosphatidylinositol trisphosphate (PtdInsP3) which we find only in activated but not in unstimulated neutrophils from human donors.

Metabolism of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate by human erythrocyte membranes. A new mechanism for the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate.

Human erythrocyte membranes metabolize inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5)P4] to inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4)P3] in the presence of Mg2+. In the absence of Mg2+ a less rapid conversion of Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 into Ins(1,4,5)P3 was revealed. Such an enzyme activity, if present in hormonally sensitive cells, could provide a mechanism for maintaining constant concentrations of Ins(1,4,5)P3 and Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, important for stimulation of Ca2+ entry after Ca2+ mobilization.

Thrombin-induced inositol trisphosphate production by rabbit platelets is inhibited by ethanol.

Ethanol has an inhibitory effect on some platelet functions, but the mechanisms by which it exerts this effect are not known. Using suspensions of washed platelets, we observed that ethanol (1-9 mg/ml) did not affect the aggregation of rabbit platelets stimulated with ADP (0.5-10 microM). When platelets were prelabelled with 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine, aggregation and secretion of granule contents in response to thrombin (0.01-0.10 unit/ml) were not inhibited by ethanol, but these responses to thrombin at lower concentrations (less than 0.01 unit/ml) were inhibited by ethanol (2-4 mg/ml). Platelets were prelabelled with [3H]inositol so that increases in inositol phosphates upon stimulation could be assessed by measuring the amount of label in these compounds. ADP-induced increases in IP (inositol phosphate) and IP2 (inositol bisphosphate) were not affected by ethanol. IP3 (inositol trisphosphate) was not changed by ADP or ethanol. Although ethanol did not affect the increases in IP, IP2 and IP3 caused by stimulation of platelets with thrombin at concentrations greater than 0.01 unit/ml, ethanol did inhibit the increases observed at 2 and 3 min in these inositol phosphates caused by lower concentrations of thrombin (less than 0.01 unit/ml). Since ADP did not cause formation of IP3 in rabbit platelets, and since no thromboxane B2 was detected in platelets stimulated with the lower concentrations of thrombin, it is unlikely that the inhibitory effect of ethanol in IP3 formation was due to effects on further stimulation of platelets by released ADP or by thromboxane A2. Ethanol may inhibit platelet responses to thrombin by inhibiting the production of the second messenger, IP3.

Stimulation of inositol phosphate production by propranolol in human neutrophils.

1. Propranolol has been reported to be beneficial in treating patients suffering from a variety of diseases including migraine, psychosis and schizophrenia. The mode of action of propranolol in the treatment of the above diseases is not clear. 2. An investigation into the possible effect of propranolol on receptor activated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis was carried out using human neutrophils. Receptor activated inositol phosphate production by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine has also been studied. 3. DL-propranolol caused a time and concentration dependent increase in inositol phosphate generation which was similar to that obtained for chemotactic peptide in neutrophils. The EC50 for propranolol was 2 microM compared to 0.5 microM for chemotactic peptide. 4. These results indicate the possibility that propranolol has a direct action on inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in addition to its beta-blocking effect.

Temporal association of calcium mobilization, inositol trisphosphate generation, and superoxide anion release by human neutrophils activated by serum opsonized and nonopsonized particulate stimuli.

We have investigated the involvement of phospholipase C mediated polyphosphoinositide turnover in activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes by particulate stimuli. Results showed that stimulation of leukocytes with serum opsonized zymosan (ingestible particle), serum opsonized Candida albicans hyphae (noningestible particle), or nonopsonized hyphae was followed by a transient rise in cellular inositol phosphates as has been described for neutrophil activation via the formyl peptide receptor. The kinetics of inositol trisphosphate generation paralleled both the time course of changes in cytosolic calcium concentration and the onset of superoxide anion generation, suggesting that these may be related events.

The 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulated formation of inositol phosphate is inhibited in platelets from alcoholics.

The accumulation of inositol monophosphate (IP1) was measured after stimulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine2 (5-HT2) receptors on platelets from alcoholics and healthy controls. In controls, 5-HT induced a dose-dependent response with an EC50 = 2 x 10(-6) M and a maximal response at 10(-5) M. Ritanserin, a selective 5-HT2 antagonist, markedly reduced the accumulation. The IP1 formation after stimulation by 10(-5) M 5-HT was significantly impaired in platelets from alcoholics as compared to controls. This study indicates that the 5-HT2 receptor function is inhibited in alcoholics. It also illustrates the possibility of using IP1 formation in peripheral cells as a mean of studying receptor function in disease.