Isoleukotrienes are biologically active free radical products of lipid peroxidation.

The free radical oxidation of arachidonic acid esterified to glycerophospholipids is known to generate complex metabolites, termed isoprostanes, that share structural features of prostaglandins derived from prostaglandin H2 synthase. Furthermore, certain isoprostanes have been found to exert biological activity through endogenous receptors on cell surfaces. Using mass spectrometry and ancillary techniques, the free radical oxidation of 1-hexadecanoyl-2-arachidonoyl-glycerophosphocholine was studied in the search for products of arachidonic acid isomeric to the leukotrienes that are derived from 5-lipoxygenase-catalyzed metabolism of arachidonic acid. Several conjugated triene metabolites were chromatographically separated from known 5-lipoxygenase products and structures characterized as 5,12-dihydroxy-6,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid esterified to the glycerophosphocholine backbone. We have termed these products as B4-isoleukotrienes. Following saponification some, but not all, B4-isoleukotrienes were found to exert biological activity in elevating intracellular calcium in Indo-1-loaded human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. This activity could be blocked by a leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist. An EC50 of approximately 30 nM was determined for one unique B4-isoleukotriene with a relative retention index of 2.54. We have shown that free radical processes can lead to the formation of biologically active isoleukotrienes in glycerophosphocholine liposomes, and we propose that B4-isoleukotrienes may also be formed in membrane glycerophospholipids as a result of lipid peroxidation during tissue injury. Such B4-isoleukotrienes could then mediate events of tissue damage through activation of leukotriene B4 receptors on target cells.