Human monocytes release arachidonic acid upon stimulation with a variety of soluble or particulate agents. These include: phorbol esters (i.e., 12-O-tetradecanoate phorbol-13-acetate, TPA), calcium ionophores (ionomycin), serum-treated zymosan (STZ) concanavalin A (Con A), and, to a minor degree, lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Protein Kinase C activation or increased intracellular Ca2+ are common features of the actions of most, if not all, of these stimuli. Prevention of PKC activation by the use of staurosporine or chelation of extracellular calcium by EGTA selectively impaired AA release, indicating that PLA2 may be regulated by either pathway concurrently. The generation of inositol phosphates and diacylglycerol by the action of phospholipase C, notably upon interaction with opsonized particles during phagocytosis, apparently constitutes the physiological correlate of stimulation via these agents. Release of arachidonic acid by the action of PLA2 or other phospholipid hydrolyzing enzymes leads directly to the formation of cyclooxygenase products. In the presence of markedly elevated calcium concentrations, 5-lipoxygenase (LO) is activated as well, leading to the formation and release of leukotrienes. Agents which stimulate AA release also initiate other monocyte functions, including generation of reactive oxygen intermediates and lymphokine release. This observation makes it tempting to implicate PLA2 activation in many aspects of monocyte physiology. However, no correlation with PLA2 activation and either superoxide or lymphokine release was found when multiple stimuli, including TPA, ionomycin, serum-treated zymosan, concanavalin A, or LPS, were compared simultaneously. Instead, our results indicate that PLA2 activation is regulated by the same mechanisms, including PKC activation and increased Ca2+, as are other enzymes which determine expression of monocyte function. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes fatty acid from the sn-2 position of a wide variety of phospholipids. Substrates for this (these) enzyme(s) include species which contain a variety of polar head groups (choline, serine, ethanolamine, etc.) and some phospholipids with either linkages in sn-1. In many cell types, including human monocytes, phospholipase A2 commonly acts on substrates containing arachidonic acid (AA). The liberation of free arachidonate is a first step in the metabolism of prostaglandins, hydroxyeicosatetraeinoic acids, (HETE'S), and leukotrienes (Lt's). Monocytes and macrophages have been shown to be rich sources of arachidonate and its metabolites. Some biologic properties of monocytes, notably their role as immunomodulating cells, have been attributed to eicosanoid production and release. Accordingly, much of the interest regarding PLA2 in human monocytes centers on this aspect of their function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)