Exposure of human monocytes to 95% normobaric oxygen (O2) was used as an in vitro oxidative injury model to study the effects of the O2-derived species produced by phagocytes at inflammatory sites on monocyte IL-1 production. Exposure to O2 enhanced production by monocytes of IL-1-like activity whether the adherent cells were cultured in the presence of opsonized zymosan, LPS or medium alone. This O2-induced increase in production of IL-1 activity was inhibited by cycloheximide and thus resulted from de novo protein synthesis. Furthermore, the increase was prevented by the addition of the protein kinase inhibitor N-2-methylaminoethyl-5-isoquinoline sulfonamide dihydrochloride (H8). Following exposure to O2, Ca2+/phospholipid-independent protein kinase activity increased in comparison to air-exposed monocytes, whereas the dependent form decreased. Since the Ca2+/phospholipid-independent form is known to derive from the dependent form (protein kinase C) by proteolysis in the presence of a thiol proteinase, our results suggest that oxidative injury stimulates thiol proteinase activity and enhances production of IL-1 activity by human monocytes partly by interfering with protein kinase C metabolism. Among the consequences of the generation of O2-derived species by phagocytes in inflammatory sites, the augmentation of the production of IL-1-like activity could amplify the inflammatory response.