Chemotactic activity of histones for human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

The chemotactic activity of histones for human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) was investigated using the under-agarose method. Total histone and histone fractions H1, H2a, H2b, H3, H4 were prepared from calf thymus and dissolved in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) pH 7.4. At concentrations of 1 and 0.1 mg/ml all histone preparations were chemotactic for PMNL. The PMNL migration (expressed as a chemotactic index) to total histone (1 mg/ml) was 1.5 +/- 0.2 (n = 8) and to histone fractions it ranged from 1.2 to 1.4. The injection of total histone (50 micrograms) to the mouse pleural cavity induced cell influx. The mean PMNL number found in this cavity (0.33 +/- 0.15 X 10(6] was 3.6-fold higher in this group as compared to PBS-treated animals. Human PMNL during 60 min incubation with total histone (10 micrograms/ml) or with total histone and cytochalasin B (CB, 4.8 micrograms/ml) released 12.9 +/- 2.5 (n = 9) and 40.6 +/- 4.9 (n = 4) % of the total myeloperoxidase cell activity. Total histone (1 to 10 micrograms/ml) did not stimulate hydrogen peroxide generation independently of the presence of CB and had no influence on its production induced by phorbol myristate acetate. Our results suggest that histones released from cell debris in the place of inflammation could secondarily modulate to some extent its course by enhancing PMNL influx and their activation. These findings may be important for the course of inflammatory response in lungs especially in the light of their susceptibility to proteolytic injury.