Docosahexaenoic (22:6 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3) stimulated the oxygen-dependent respiratory burst in intact neutrophils in a dose-dependent manner as measured by either superoxide dismutase (SOD)-inhibitable cytochrome c reduction and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence. A number of longer chain hexaenoic acids isolated from ram testis (22 to 32 carbon fatty acids) showed a diminishing response with increasing carbon chain length. 22:6 acted synergistically to enhance the responses to two other neutrophil agonists, f-met-leu-phe (FMLP) and the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Whereas 22:6-induced chemiluminescence was markedly inhibited by pre-treatment with cytochalasin B, the response to FMLP was augmented, while TPA-induced activation was largely unaffected by cytochalasin B. 22:6-induced activation of neutrophils is independent of protein kinase C, as 22:6, unlike TPA, did not cause the membrane translocation of this enzyme. Furthermore, the putative protein kinase C inhibitor H-7 [1-(5-isoquinolinylsulphonyl)-2-methylpiperazine] had little effect on 22:6-induced chemiluminescence. In contrast, 22:6-induced activation was extremely sensitive to the calmodulin antagonist W-7 [N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulphonamide], indicating that calmodulin-dependent enzymes may be involved in the responses to 22:6. These results suggest that different mechanisms are involved in the 22:6-, FMLP- and TPA-induced activation of neutrophil NADPH-oxidase.