Modulation by endothelin-1 of lipopolysaccharide-induced cyclooxygenase 2 expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages

We investigated the modulation by endothelin-1 of lipopolysaccharide-induced cyclooxygenase 2 expression and prostaglandin E2 production by mouse peritoneal macrophages. Our previous report showed that endothelin-1 at concentrations above 10(-11) M induced cyclooxygenase 2 expression through mainly endothelin ET(B) receptors and that an endothelin ET(B) receptor-mediated process was not involved in cyclooxygenase 2 activation in macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide for 4 h. In the present study, when macrophages were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide for 12 h in the presence of endothelin-1 (10(-15) to 10(-8) M), cyclooxygenase 2 expression and prostaglandin E2 production were enhanced by 1.2- to 1.6-fold. The endothelin ET(B) receptor selective antagonist, BQ788 (N-cis-2,6-dimethylpiperidino-carbonyl-L-gamma-methyl-leucyl-D-L-m ethoxycarbonyl-tryptophanyl-norleucine), significantly inhibited this synergistic effect of endothelin-1. In addition, the cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitor, NS398 (N-[2-(cyclohexyloxy)-4-nitrophenyl]-methanesulfonamide), also suppressed this effect. Western blot analysis showed that the endothelin ET(B) receptor was up-regulated by lipopolysaccharide in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, and that this up-regulation was inhibited by NS398. From these results, we conclude that endothelin-1 promotes lipopolysaccharide-induced cyclooxygenase 2 activation in the delayed phase through endothelin ET(B) receptors up-regulated by lipopolysaccharide.