NEUTROPHIL ARACHIDONIC-ACID LEVEL AND ADHESIVE CAPABILITY ARE INCREASED IN ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

Background We recently demonstrated that arachidonic: linoleic acid ra tio of erythrocytes of essential hypertension patients is greater than normal. Objective To investigate fatty acid composition, capability f or adhesion to biological substrate and expression of beta(2) integrin s of leucocytes obtained from peripheral blood and skin window exudate of essential hypertension patients. Design Neutrophil activation stat e was evaluated by reproducing the various conditions occurring in viv o during the life of the cell (i.e. under the 'resting' condition, suc h as in peripheral blood, and 'primed' condition, such as after transm igration through the endothelium and after administration of specific chemo-attractants), Because both peripheral blood and skin window leuc ocytes of the subjects were obtained on the same day, we could be sure that there had been no dietary influences on changes in levels of fat ty acid. Thus, the observed changes should reliably reflect the metabo lic rate of utilization of fatty acids coupled to the activation and m igration of cells, Results Leucocytes from essential hypertension pati ents were richer in arachidonic acid than were the corresponding cells from normotensive subjects; this difference was also evident for func tionally activated skin window leucocytes, in spite of there having be en a greater loss of poly-unsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic acid after migration. Moreover, a greater than normal arachidonic acid :li noleic acid ratio was shown for the first time to apply for leucocytes of essential hypertension patients, so extending our previous finding s on the erythrocytes, Leucocytes from essential hypertension patients , collected both from peripheral blood and from skin window exudate, p roved far more adhesive than the corresponding cells from age-matched and sex-matched controls, but this was not associated with a quantitat ive hyperexpression of beta(2) integrins. Conclusions The results sugg est that an increase in availability of arachidonic acid in leucocytes could be a further expression of the generalized disturbance of fatty acid levels associated with essential hypertension and that a conditi on of hyperadhesion of neutrophils could occur spontaneously in vivo d uring the course of hypertensiion. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publisher s.