INHIBITION OF CRYSTAL-INDUCED NEUTROPHIL ACTIVATION BY A PROTEIN-TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITOR

The objective of this work was to investigate the role of tyrosine kinase in monosodium urate monohydrate (MSUM) and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal-induced neutrophil activation using the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lavendustin C (LVC). Human neutrophils pretreated with LVC at concentrations between 10 and 150 mu M or control neutrophils were stimulated by plasma-coated CPPD or uncoated MSUM, and chemiluminescence, superoxide generation, intracellular calcium concentration, and degranulation (myeloperoxidase and lysozyme release) were monitored with time. LVC strongly inhibited chemiluminescence, superoxide anion generation, myeloperoxidase and lysozyme release, and calcium mobilization. After 1-min crystal-neutrophil incubations, neutrophil cytosolic fractions showed extensive inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity by LVC. We conclude that the inhibition of neutrophil responses to crystal stimulation, by the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor LVC, provides evidence that supports the involvement of tyrosine kinases in crystal-induced neutrophil activation.