In an effort to elucidate the nature of the inhibitory effects of p-bromophenacyl bromide (pBPB) on neutrophil stimulation, we have examined its effects on several stages of stimulus-response coupling. Pretreatment of rat neutrophils with pBPB resulted in a dose- and time-dependent irreversible inhibition of both N-formylmethionyl-leucylphenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe)-induced lysosomal enzyme release and change in transmembrane potential. Inhibition of the biological responses to the chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe was not due to receptor inactivation since fMet-Leu-[3H]-Phe binding to the formyl peptide receptor was not significantly altered by pBPB pretreatment. Inhibition by pBPB of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced changes in transmembrane potential and the generation of superoxide (0-2) was also observed. pBPB treatment appeared to inhibit activation of the NADPH oxidase without a direct effect on the oxidase itself. This inhibitory effect was not accompanied by cell death or decrease in cellular titratable sulphydryl groups (at least at doses less than 20 microM). There was, however, significant inhibition of a membranous fraction of fMet-Leu-Phe-induced phospholipase A2 activity by pretreatment with 10 microM pBPB, although total cellular phospholipase A2 was only minimally (less than 20% inhibition) affected. These data would indicate that pBPB inhibits an early event associated with stimulus-response coupling in rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (i.e. change in transmembrane potential). The inhibitory effects of pBPB may be secondary to the inhibition of a critical membranous fraction of cell bound phospholipase A2 activity or its activation, necessary for the initiation of cell activation.