The cytokine neutrophil-activating peptide-1/interleukin-8 (NAP/IL-8) activates neutrophils (PMN) and elicits selective diapedesis of PMN into the extracellular space. The glomerular mesangial cell (MC) is a specialized pericyte that controls glomerular filtration and synthesizes and responds to a variety of cytokines. Because of its location within the glomerulus, the MC is in a pivotal position to orchestrate events underlying immune injury. Since immune-injured glomeruli have been shown to produce NAP/IL-8 activity in vitro, we assessed whether lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or cytokine-activated MC might be a source of this activity. Pure human MC, devoid of monocyte/macrophage and fibroblast contamination, were grown by explant from collagenase-treated glomeruli. Human recombinant interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha, 20 ng/ml), IL-1 beta (50 ng/ml), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF, 100 ng/ml) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 micrograms/ml) stimulated release of a neutrophil chemotactic factor from cultured MC. Both concentrated (fivefold) and unconcentrated MC supernatants stimulated directed neutrophil migration under agarose at a level similar to that of the bacterial chemotactic factor, FMLP. In contrast, unstimulated MC-conditioned media and IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta. TNF and LPS in medium alone did not directly induce PMN migration. Molecular sizing studies using sequential membrane ultrafiltration identified significant TNF-stimulated, MC-derived chemotactic activity in the 3000 to 10000 kD fraction. An anti-NAP/IL-8 monoclonal antibody, 46E5, significantly inhibited PMN chemotaxis stimulated by TNF-stimulated, MC-conditioned media in a dose-dependent manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)