Precursor role of arachidonic acid in release of slow reacting substance from rat basophilic leukemia cells.

The release of slow reacting substance (SRS) from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-1) by the ionophore A23187 (5-10 mug/ml) was stimulated 5-fold by arachidonate and inhibited 78% by 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoate (an inhibitor of both fatty acid cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase). Linoleic acid and linolenic acid both inhibited SRS formation, whereas indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) had no effect. Radiolabel from [14C]- or [3H]arachidonate was incorporated into SRS as indicated by comigration of radioactivity and bioreactivity in several chromatographic systems after purification to apparent radiochemical homogeneity. The radiolabeled SRS was clearly separated chromatographically from other known arachidonate metabolites. Thus, SRS appears to be a previously undescribed product of arachidonic acid metabolism, probably formed through the lipoxygenase pathway. The ability to prepare purified, biosynthetically labeled, SRS should be of considerable help in further studies of its structure, biologic function, and catabolism.