Platelet-activating factor-induced calcium mobilization and oxidative metabolism in hepatic macrophages and...

Fluorescence image analysis of the calcium sensitive dye Indo-1 was used to characterize platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced calcium mobilization in hepatic macrophages and endothelial cells. PAF, but not lyso-PAF, an inactive analog, induced a rapid and transient increase in intracellular levels of calcium that appeared to depend on the presence of extracellular calcium. In both macrophages and endothelial cells, these effects were dose dependent, reaching maximal levels with 10 nM PAF. However, the kinetics of the calcium response to PAF in macrophages and endothelial cells was distinct. The endothelial cells responded more rapidly to PAF than the macrophages (within 1 min vs. 2-3 min, respectively) and displayed longer recovery periods (4 min vs. > 10 min, respectively). In contrast, the magnitude of the response to PAF was greater in the macrophages. In both cell types, triazolam and alprazolam, two PAF antagonists, and the calcium channel blocker verapamil inhibited PAF-induced calcium mobilization. PAF also stimulated superoxide anion production alone and in combination with the macrophage activator 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in both cell types. Macrophages produced more of this reactive oxygen intermediate in response to PAF and TPA than endothelial cells. Interestingly, in the absence of extracellular calcium or when verapamil was added to the cultures, superoxide anion production by the macrophages, but not the endothelial cells, was significantly reduced. These results demonstrate that, although hepatic macrophages and endothelial cells mobilize calcium in response to PAF, the characteristics of the response in each cell type are different. These differences may underlie, at least in part, distinct functional responses of the cells to PAF.