Sphingosine inhibition and promotion of histamine release from isolated rat mast cells

Influence of probes for calcium-calmodulin and protein kinase C signalling on the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity of rat synaptosomes and leukocyte membranes

The influence of selected inhibitors of calcium signalling on the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity of rat synaptosomes and peritoneal leukocyte membranes was studied. The calmodulin inhibitor calmidazolium was an efficient inhibitor (50%) of the synaptosomal Ca2+-ATPase activity in a manner competitive with phosphatidylserine. The inhibition by CGS 9343B (30%) was not counteracted by phosphatidylserine. The intracellular calcium antagonist TMB-8 and the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine and the derivatives CGP 41251 and CGP 42700 hardly affected the synaptosomal Ca2+-ATPase activity. The flavonoid quercetin was a more effective inhibitor of the ATPase activity of synaptosomal than of leukocyte membranes. Phloretin, at relatively high concentrations, caused only a modest inhibition of synaptosomes. The protein kinase C inhibitor sphingosine was a weak inhibitor of the synaptosomal but an effective inhibitor of the leukocyte membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity. The antineoplastic ether phospholipids BM 41.440 (ilmofosine) and ET-18-OCH3 (edelfosine) effectively inhibited the leukocyte membranes whereas the ATPase activity of synaptosomes was significantly increased by 20 microM and slightly inhibited by higher concentrations of these agents. The analogue hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine) did not affect the ATPase activity of the synaptosomes and only inhibited that of the leukocyte membranes at concentrations above 20 microM. These results show that several test substances of current interest affect the activity of the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase. The effects depend on the origin of the membranes. The investigation does not permit a distinction between direct effects on the enzyme and an interference with its membrane environment although the latter is indicated for the ether phospholipids.

Influence of staurosporine, a more selective derivative CGP 41,251 and an inactive analogue CGP 42,700 on histamine release from isolated rat mast cells

The influence of staurosporine, a potent but nonselective inhibitor of protein kinase C, on rat mast cell histamine release, was compared with that of two derivatives, CGP 41,251 with a high degree of selectivity for protein kinase C and the related CGP 42,700 which is without activity. Staurosporine was a more potent inhibitor of mast cell responses than CGP 41,251, in accordance with their reported potencies. CGP 42,700 was investigated in the same concentration range as CGP 41,251 and served as a control for unspecific effects. Antigen induced histamine release was more effectively inhibited by staurosporine than by CGP 41,251, and responses to compound 48/80 were only modestly affected by both drugs. Responses to the ionophore A23187 were unaffected by staurosporine whereas CGP 41,251 was an effective inhibitor at suboptimal ionophore concentrations. In contrast, responses to combinations of the phorbol ester TPA and subthreshold concentrations of the ionophore could be potently inhibited by staurosporine but were under certain conditions moderately enhanced by lower concentrations of the drug, whereas CGP 41,251 was only inhibitory. Except for a slight inhibition of ionophore responses CGP 42,700 was without effect. The results demonstrate that the actions of staurosporine cannot be ascribed solely to inhibition of protein kinase C, whereas the influence of CGP 41,251 appears to be consistent with an inhibition of this kinase.

Effects of the ether phospholipid AMG-PC on mast cells are similar to that of the ether lipid AMG but different from that of the analogue hexadecylphosphocholine

The ether lipid AMG (1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methylglycerol) has previously been shown to have both enhancing and inhibitory effects on histamine release from isolated rat mast cells. In addition, a synergistic interaction with the phorbol ester TPA indicated protein kinase C activation. In the present investigation the effects of the related ether phospholipid AMG-PC (1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methylglycero-3-phosphocholine) and the analogue hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine (HPC) are compared with those of AMG. HPC had only inhibitory effects, in contrast to AMG-PC which acted similarly on histamine release induced by compound 48/80, but had dual influence on responses to antigen and the ionophore A23187 and mainly exhibited a synergistic interaction with combinations of the ionophore and TPA. The influence of AMG-PC differed from that of AMG in some aspects whereas the character of its synergistic interaction with A23187 resembled that of AMG, in particular after pre-incubation with TPA. The results show that HPC does not share all biological activities of the antineoplastic ether lipids. They indicate that the effects of AMG-PC under appropriate conditions may be due to activation of protein kinase C but do not permit a distinction between direct effects and indirect through metabolic conversion to AMG.