Involvement of reactive oxygen species, protein kinase C, and tyrosine kinase in prostaglandin E2 production in Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells by quinolone phototoxicity

We examined the effect of an antioxidant and protein kinase inhibitors on prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) release from Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells induced by quinolone phototoxicity. Simultaneous administration of sparfloxacin (SPFX) or lomefloxacin (LFLX) at 12.5 to 100 μ M and ultraviolet-A (UVA) irradiation for 10 min markedly elevated PGE₂ concentration in the incubation medium, whereas levofloxacin (LVFX) at concentrations up to 100 μ M and UVA irradiation did not increase PGE₂ concentration. Pretreatment with 100 μ M pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an antioxidant, or 1 μ M calphostin C, a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), completely inhibited the elevation of PGE₂ in the 24-h incubation medium; pre-treatment with 10 μ M H7, a cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase, and PKC or 1 μ M herbimycin A, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibited the PGE₂ elevation by 29 to 39%. Conversely, 25 nM staurosporine significantly augmented the PGE₂ elevation by quinolones plus UVA. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα ) were not detected in the incubation medium of 3T3 cells after quinolone plus UVA, corresponding to the lack of effect of antibodies against IL-1α , IL-1β , and TNFα on PGE₂ release from 3T3 cells. These results suggest that PGE₂ production in 3T3 cells by quinolone phototoxicity is modulated by reactive oxygen species, PKC, and tyrosine kinase, but not by IL-1 or TNFα . Received: 23 September 1997 / Accepted: 1 December 1997