Effect of lipoproteins on macrophage superoxide generation

Superoxide production by macrophages and leukocytes may have an important role in atherogenesis. Whether lipoproteins modulate the superoxide production of these cells is not clear. Therefore, the effect of lipoproteins on the production of superoxide by rat peritoneal macrophages was tested. VLDL and LDL inhibited digitonin-stimulated superoxide production in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum inhibition was observed at 10 micrograms ml-1 of VLDL protein and 50 micrograms ml-1 of LDL protein respectively. In contrast, HDL (40 micrograms protein ml-1) enhanced digitonin-stimulated superoxide production (by 47 per cent). Macrophage superoxide production induced by arachidonic acid was enhanced by both VLDL (130 per cent) and HDL (84 per cent), whereas LDL had no effect. The lipoproteins had no effect on macrophage superoxide stimulated by other agonists such as phorbol myristate 13-acetate, sodium fluoride or the calcium ionophore, A23187. The effect of lipoproteins was also tested on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte superoxide generation, stimulated by digitonin and PMA. Ten micrograms of VLDL, 50 micrograms of LDL and 50 micrograms of HDL proteins ml-1, inhibited digitonin-induced superoxide production by 50, 100 and 33 per cent respectively. Lipoproteins had no effect on PMA stimulated superoxide generation by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The stimulatory and inhibitory effects of lipoproteins on macrophage and neutrophil superoxide generation could be important in the understanding of oxidation-mediated development of atherosclerosis.