Metabolic patterns in three types of phagocytizing cells

Some chemical and metabolic characteristics of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes from peritoneal exudates of the guinea pig, and of alveolar macrophages from the same animal, have been compared. Changes in the metabolic patterns of these three types of cell have been followed during the act of phagocytosis. The effect of conventional inhibitors of metabolism, and of anaerobiosis on the phagocytic ability of each of the three cell types mentioned has also been determined. From these studies it was found that alveolar macrophages depend to a considerable degree upon oxidative phosphorylation to provide energy for phagocytosis. The other two types of cell depend only on glycolysis as the source of metabolic energy for that function. In some experiments aimed at obtaining information on the possible role of complex lipids in the function of the cell membrane, it was noted that phagocytosis stimulated the incorporation of inorganic phosphate-P³² into the phosphatides of both types of cell from peritoneal exudates—whether these were free-swimming or adherent to a surface. This phenomenon has not yet been detected in the case of alveolar macrophages.

Passive transfer of immunity to typhoid by macrophages

Saito, Kazuhisa (Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan), Masayasu Nakano, Takehisa Akiyama, and Daizo Ushiba. Passive transfer of immunity to typhoid by macrophages. J. Bacteriol. 84:500-507. 1962.-Cultured peritoneal macrophages collected from mice which had been injected intravenously with intact macrophages of mice immunized with live vaccine were found to exert inhibitory action against intracellular virulent Salmonella enteritidis. This inhibition was quantitatively inferior to that exhibited by peritoneal macrophages from the donors, i.e., mice actively immunized with live vaccine. After an intravenous injection of P(32)-labeled macrophages into mice, almost no radioactivity could be recovered in the peritoneal exudate cells of the recipients; about 50% of the radioactivity was recovered from the liver, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes. Therefore, the inhibitory action of the recipient's peritoneal macrophages against intracellular multiplication was attributed to the capacity of the recipient's own macrophages and not to that of the donor's macrophages. Tissue-cultured macrophages from recipients of sonic-treated cells did not exhibit inhibition against intracellular, virulent S. enteritidis, although the recipients were resistant to intraperitoneal infection with the same strain.

Inhibition of Salmonella enteritidis ingested in mononuclear phagocytes from liver and subcutaneous tissue of mice immunized with live vaccine

Sato, Ichiei (School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan), Tokumitsu Tanaka, Kazuko Saito, and Susumu Mitsuhashi. Inhibition of Salmonella enteritidis ingested in mononuclear phagocytes from liver and subcutaneous tissue of mice immunized with live vaccine. J. Bacteriol. 83:1306-1312. 1962.-In our earlier studies it was shown that mice hyperimmunized with live vaccine of Salmonella enteritidis resisted intravenous challenge with 1,000 MLD of virulent strain 116-54 of S. enteritidis. Survivors of this challenge completely resisted additional intravenous challenge with 10,000 MLD of the same organism. Mononuclear phagocytes obtained from the abdominal cavity of mice immunized with live vaccine of S. enteritidis inhibited intracellular multiplication of virulent strain 116-54, regardless of the presence of antibody in the cell-culture medium. In the present study, mononuclear phagocytes were obtained in a nearly pure state from liver or subcutaneous tissue of mice and were maintained in vitro in good condition. These cells also resisted cellular degeneration caused by intracellular existence of virulent strain 116-54, regardless of the presence of antibody in the cell-culture medium. In contrast, cells obtained from normal mice or mice immunized with dead vaccine were subject to degeneration.

LYSOSOMAL ACID HYDROLASES AND HYPERREACTIVITY TO ENDOTOXIN IN MICE INFECTED WITH BCG

Experiments are reported dealing with the correlation between activities of lysosomal acid hydrolases and hyperreactivity to endotoxin induced by BCG infection. Acid hydrolases were determined quantitatively in peritoneal MP, liver homogenate, and plasma of normal and hyperreactive mice. Mice infected with BCG not only exhibited a hyperreactive state to lethal effect of endotoxin, but also responded to endotoxin by rapid increase of acid hydrolases, especially of β-glucuronidase, in the plasma; whereas control mice responded to endotoxin by almost no change in plasma acid hydrolases. The extent of increase of β-glucuronidase in plasma of hyperreactive mice was shown to correlate fairly well with the degree of hyperreactivity to the lethal effect of endotoxin. Desensitization of such animals with endotoxin was found to cause a decreased response of plasma β-glucuronidase parallel with decreased mortality. A large amount of PPD exerted the similar effect to that of endotoxin in hyperreactive mice. Furthermore, the effect of PPD was decreased by desensitization of such animals with endotoxin, a fact which suggests contamination of PPD with endotoxin.

LYSOSOMAL ACID HYDROLASES IN MICE INFECTED WITH BCG

Experiments are reported dealing with the increase of lysosomal acid hydrolases induced by BCG infection. Acid hydrolases were determined quantitatively in peritoneal MP, liver homogenate, and plasma of normal and BCG-infected mice. A significant increase of acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, and cathepsin was found in MP and liver homogenate of BCG-infected mice. In plasma also a significant increase of acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase was noticed. The results of the determination of the enzymes in centrifugally separated subcellular fractions of liver homogenate indicated clearly that the acid hydrolases associated mainly with the "large granular" fraction, which consists of mitochondria, lysosomes, and microsomes and that infection with BCG caused significant increase of the enzymes specifically in this fraction. Differences in the pattern of location among centrifugally separated fraction of liver homogenate were observed between acid phosphatase and the other two acid hydrolases. MP cultured in vitro doubled their acid phosphatases content within 24 hours, whereas beta-glucuronidase rather decreased in the same cells.