CIRCULATING POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES FROM PATIENTS WITH GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTEREMIA ARE NOT PRIMED FOR ENHANCED PRODUCTION OF LEUKOTRIENE B-4 OR 5-HYDROXYEICOSATETRAENOIC ACID

The hypothesis was tested that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) fro m patients with gram-negative bacteremia are primed to produce leukotr iene B-4 (LTB(4)) or 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), in respo nse to concentrations of calcium ionophore A23187, which are substimul atory for control PMNL. PMNL from 11 bacteremic patients and 8 healthy subjects (11 samples) produced similar quantities of LTB(4), omega-ox idation products of LTB(4), and 5-HETE after incubation with 0.3 and 0 .5 mu M A23187 for 5 min. At the detection threshold of 0.3 mu M A2318 7, LTB(4) was present in PMNL preparations from 9 of 11 patients and 7 of 11 control samples and 5-HETE from the same 9 patients and from 6 controls. There was no correlation between LTB(4) or 5-HETE and plasma levels of endotoxin. In this group of patients, priming of PMNL by gr am-negative bacteremia did not lead to enhanced production of LTB(4), its omega-oxidation products, or 5-HETE when PMNL were challenged with low concentrations of A23187.