Leukotriene inhibitors modulate hepatic injury induced by lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages

In an attempt to elucidate the effect of lipoxygenase inhibitors on hepatic injury, we investigated D-galactosamine (GalN)-treated C57BL/6 mice receiving an intravenous (i.v.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated autologous spleen cells. As compared with control spleen cells, the number of monocytes in the spleen cells isolated from LPS-treated mice and their oxidative free radical production increased markedly. Oxygen radical production by the dish-adherent cells (macrophage-rich population) was enhanced a further 4-fold. Although hepatotoxicity was not demonstrated in mice treated with 20 mg GalN alone, marked hepatic injury was found in the GalN-treated mice with a supplementation of LPS-activated spleen cells. The dish-adherent cells aggravated this hepatic injury, in contrast to minor hepatotoxicity by the nonadherent cells. Oxygen radical production by LPS-activated spleen cells was markedly reduced by the lipoxygenase inhibitors (azelastine, ketotifen and AA861). Hepatotoxicity was scarcely detected in the GalN-treated mice with a supplementation of the LPS-activated spleen cells which had been previously treated with lipoxygenase inhibitors. From these results, LPS-activated spleen macrophages contributed to hepatic injury induced by GalN, and lipoxygenase inhibitors which reduced oxygen radical production by the activated cells, protected against macrophage-induced hepatic injury in mice.