The protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporine, inhibited NADPH oxidase activity of human neutrophils activated by phorbol myristate acetate. However, this inhibitor had no effect on either the initiation or the maximal rate of O2- secretion activated by the chemotactic peptide, fMet-Leu-Phe, but resulted in a more rapid termination of oxidant production. Similarly, staurosporine had no effect on the rapid (1 min) increase in luminol-dependent chemiluminescence activated by fMet-Leu-Phe, but the second (intracellular) phase of oxidant production was inhibited. The initial burst of oxidant production during phagocytosis was similarly protein kinase C-independent, but again the later phases of oxidase activity were staurosporine-sensitive. Neutrophils loaded with Quin-2 at concentrations sufficient to act as a Ca2+ buffer could not secrete O2- in response to fMet-Leu-Phe; although the initial (protein kinase C-independent) burst of luminol chemiluminescence was not observed in fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated Ca2(+)-buffered cells, the second phase of (protein kinase C-dependent) oxidant production was largely unaffected. Hence, the initial burst of oxidant production activated by fMet-Leu-Phe, opsonized zymosan, and latex beads is independent of the activity of protein kinase C-dependent intracellular activation processes, but the activity of this kinase is required to extend or sustain the duration of oxidant production.