The activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (cyclic AMP-PK) was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) in thioglycollate-elicited than in resident rat peritoneal macrophages. The activity ratio of the enzyme (its activity in the absence of added cyclic AMP divided by that in the presence of 5 microM cyclic AMP) was similar in the two cell types. The divalent ion ionophore A23187 induced a rapid increase in the activity ratio of cyclic AMP-PK in both macrophage types. This effect was blocked by pretreating the cells with indomethacin or aspirin (inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase) and bromo-phenacyl bromide (an inhibitor of phospholipase A2), implicating the synthesis of a prostanoid as an intermediary step. Prostaglandin (PG) E2, 8-bromo cyclic AMP and cholera toxin, all of which inhibit chemiluminescence and/or PG formation in macrophages, increased the activity ratio of cyclic AMP-PK in these cells. We propose that the activation of cyclic AMP-PK plays a central role in the response of macrophages to both endogenously-generated and exogenously added PGE.