Human neutrophil chemotaxis in response to diepoxides of linolenic acid.

Diepoxides of linolenic acid were found to be chemoattractants. The concentration that produces 50% of maximal chemotaxis was 4.5 10(-7) mol/l for human neutrophils when investigated in a chemotaxis test based on the method of spectrophotometric determination of myeloperoxidase activity with buffers containing bovine serum albumin. Leukotriene B4 was used as positive control. The concentration of leukotriene B4 that produces 50% of maximal chemotaxis was 1.8 nmol/l. No chemotactic activity was observed when monoepoxides of linoleic or linolenic acid, diepoxides of linoleic acid or triepoxides of linolenic acid were used. Mono-, di- and triepoxides of polyunsaturated fatty acids were synthesized with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid, separated by TLC and HPLC and identified by GC/MS.