In order to clarify the possibility of an antiatherogenic action of the calcium antagonists nifedipine (CAS 21829-25-4) and nisoldipine (CAS 63675-72-9) the effect of nifedipine and nisoldipine on phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)- and calcium ionophore A23187-stimulated O2- and PGE2 production from macrophages was investigated. Nifedipine and nisoldipine inhibited dose-dependently PMA-stimulated O2- and PGE2 production, but not A23187-stimulated PGE2 production. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of nifedipine and nisoldipine for PMA-stimulated O2- production were 60 and 8 mumol/l, respectively, whereas those for A23187-stimulated O2- were 9.3 and 2.0 mumol/l. IC50 of nifedipine and nisoldipine for PMA-stimulated PGE2 production were 3.0 and 2.8 mumol/l, respectively. The release of [1-14C]-arachidonic acid from labeled macrophages stimulated with PMA was inhibited approximately by 39 to 43% in the presence of 20 mumol/l nifedipine and nisoldipine. The increase of (Ca2+)i in macrophages induced by A23187 could not be attenuated by nifedipine and nisoldipine, and (Ca2+)i level did not alter when stimulated with PMA. These results suggest that the inhibitory mechanism of nifedipine and nisoldipine for O2- production from the macrophages appears to directly inhibit the enzyme system of the NADPH-oxidase complex through the activation of protein kinase C, and that the inhibition of PMA-stimulated PGE2 production may be due to a decrease of phospholipase A2 through protein kinase C. On the basis of the inhibitory action on O2- and PGE2 production from the macrophages, a possible mechanism of antiatherogenic effect of calcium antagonists was discussed.