title: Pharmacological and immunohistochemical evidence for a functional nitric oxide synthase system in rat peritoneal eosinophils.
abstract: Eosinophil migration in vivo is markedly attenuated in rats treated chronically with the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). In this study, we investigated the existence of a NOS system in eosinophils. Our results demonstrated that rat peritoneal eosinophils strongly express both type II (30.2 +/- 11.6% of counted cells) and type III (24.7 +/- 7.4% of counted cells) NOS, as detected by immunohistochemistry using affinity purified mouse mAbs. Eosinophil migration in vitro was evaluated by using 48-well microchemotaxis chambers and the chemotactic agents used were N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP, 5 x 10(-8) M) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4, 10(-8) M). L-NAME (but not D-NAME) significantly inhibited the eosinophil migration induced by both fMLP (54% reduction for 1.0 mM; P < 0.05) and LTB4 (61% reduction for 1.0 mM; P < 0.05). In addition, the type II NOS inhibitor 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine and the type I/II NOS inhibitor 1-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl) imidazole also markedly (P < 0. 05) attenuated fMLP- (52% and 38% reduction for 1.0 mM, respectively) and LTB4- (52% and 51% reduction for 1.0 mM, respectively) induced migration. The inhibition of eosinophil migration by L-NAME was mimicked by the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo [4,3,-a] quinoxalin-1-one (0.01 and 0.1 mM) and reversed by either sodium nitroprusside (0.1 mM) or dibutyryl cyclic GMP (1 mM). We conclude that eosinophils do express NO synthase(s) and that nitric oxide plays an essential role in eosinophil locomotion by acting through a cyclic GMP transduction mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UNICAMP, P. O. Box 6111, 13081-970, Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Zanardo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Murad
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Nucci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester