Effect of the calcium ionophore A23187 on superoxide generation in phorbol ester stimulated human neutrophils
The calcium ionophore, A23187, and the tumor-promoting phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), interacted synergistically to elicit an accelerated superoxide production response in human neutrophils. The lag period preceding PMA-induced superoxide generation was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by A23187 at a concentration range from 1.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−5 M. Superoxide production rate, however, was subject to biphasic effects. While the rate was potentiated in a dose-dependent manner at A23187 concentrations below 1.0 × 10−6 M, inhibitory influences became manifest at higher concentrations. Total superoxide production was subject to inhibitory effects, characterized by a mean inhibitory dose of 1.3 × 10−6 M. The synergistic interaction of A23187 with PMA is consistent with a role for protein kinase C in neutrophil activation. Inhibition at high A23187 concentrations appeared to result from the effects of elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels on either NADPH oxidase itself, or some step in the transduction process linking protein kinase C to the oxidase complex.