The present study has demonstrated that pretreatment of human platelets with either phorbol ester or 1,2-diacylglycerol inhibits agonist-induced formation of inositol phosphates; this inhibition can be correlated with a decrease in the release of ATP and 5-hydroxytryptamine by thrombin. The mechanism of this action is not known, but a role for protein kinase C is suggested, as both phorbol ester and 1,2-diacylglycerol have in common the ability to activate this enzyme. These results have important implications as a possible negative feedback control over agonist-induced hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids.Platelet activation by agonists such as thrombin (1-3) and collagen (4) is mediated through the phosphodiesteric cleavage of polyphosphoinositides and, possibly, phosphatidylinositol. This hydrolysis generates two bioactive products, 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3). 1,2-Diacylglycerol activates protein kinase C, and this has been shown to phosphorylate a 40,000-dalton protein in platelets of unknown function (5); phorbol esters can substitute for 1,2-diacylglycerol in the activation of protein kinase C (5). InsP3 mobilizes Ca2' from the endoplasmic reticulum of a number of tissues (6-9) and induces protein phosphorylation in platelets (10).Recently, it has been demonstrated that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (11, 12) and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG) (13) (refs. 3, 14, and 15, re-spectively). The platelets were finally suspended at a concentration of 8 x 108 per ml in a modified Tyrode Hepes buffer (134 mM NaCl/12 mM NaHCO3/2.9 mM KCl/0.36 mM NaH2PO4/1 mM MgCl2/5 mM Hepes/5 mM glucose/1 mM EGTA, pH 7.4). Samples (0.49 ml) were placed in aggregometer tubes and left at 370C for 3 min. OAG and phorbol dibutyrate (PBt2) were added and the tubes were left without stirring at 370C for various times. [Similar results were obtained when platelets were stirred in a Chrono-Log (Havertown, PA) aggregometer.] The reaction was stopped by transferring the contents to tubes containing 1.88 ml of CHCl3/MeOH/HCl (100:200:2) by means of a Pasteur pipette. Inositol phosphates were analyzed by ion exchange chromatography, and inositol phospholipids were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography as described (3). For determinations of protein phosphorylation, however, the reaction was stopped by transferring aliquots (100 ul) to tubes containing 25 ,1l of 5 times concentrated Laemmli sample buffer and incubated at 100°C for 10 min; proteins were then analyzed as described (14).Experiments involving the pretreatment of platelets with PBt2 or OAG before addition of thrombin were carried out in the following manner. Platelets (0.49 ml) were incubated with OAG (50 ,uM) or PBt2 (200 nM) in aggregometer tubes for 9 min at 37°C without stirring. They/ were then transferred to a Chrono-Log aggregometer and, stirred for 1 min at 37°C. Thrombin, collagen, or platelet-activating factor was then added and the reaction was terminated at various times by transferring to CHCl3/MeOH/HCl (100:200:2) as descri...