Involvement of leukotrienes, TNF-α, and the LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction in substance P-induced granulocyte infiltration

Substance P (SP) has been shown to mediate granulocyte infiltration into the mouse skin by inducing mast cell degranulation. In this study, using a variety of specific inhibitors, we investigated the cascade of events involved in the response of neutrophils and eosinophils to SP. The prostaglandin inhibitor, indomethacin, had little effect on SP-induced leukocyte migration. In contrast, pretreatment with the leukotriene (LT) synthesis inhibitor, A-64077, completely blocked neutrophil but not eosinophil migration in response to SP. Participation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction was confirmed by inhibition of SP-induced leukocyte migration by pretreatment of mice with monoclonal antibodies to TNF-alpha, LFA-1, and ICAM-1. Moreover, alteration in leukocyte migration by indomethacin was found to depend on the concentration of TNF-alpha used. Indomethacin did not alter the number of leukocytes induced by low concentrations of TNF-alpha (0.1 ng), but reduced the number of cells stimulated with high TNF-alpha concentrations (1.0 ng). These results support the concept that SP modulates in vivo neuroinflammatory responses, as measured by granulocyte migration, initiating a cascade of events that includes LT production, TNF-alpha secretion, and engagement of LFA-1 and ICAM-1.