Human Granulocyte LTB4 Production and Respiratory Burst Impaired by Styrene

Abstract

Human granulocytes (PMN) incubated in vitro with styrene at a concentration of 3.3 x 10-4 M have shown an impairment of leucotriene B4 (LTB4) production and of respiratory burst after stimulation with N-formyl-methyonil-leucyl-phenylalanine peptide (nFMLP), which has a specific membrane receptor. The level of impairment in LTB4 production was lower in cells pretreated for 15 minutes with styrene than in cells treated with styrene and nFMLP simultaneously. Styrene did not cause irreversible damage, because 15 minutes after styrene treatment PMN partially recovered their function. The determination of styrene and styrene oxide, the presumed active metabolite, in the supernatant of cell culture, showed that styrene rapidly enters the cell and only 15 minutes or more after styrene addition was styrene oxide found. On this basis, the action of styrene does not seem to be mediated by metabolites.