The dependence of the functional activity of "immune" macrophages on T-cells

The dependence of the functional activity of the peritoneal macrophages of mice immunized with Francisella tularensis vaccine strain on the presence of T-cells in the culture has been studied. The elimination of "immune" macrophages and sensitized T-lymphocytes by means of anti-Thy-1-2-serum has been shown to lead to a sharp decrease in both ingestive and digestive functions of the phagocytic mononuclears of peritoneal exudate to the level of the activity of macrophages isolated from intact animals.     

Macrophages as effector cells of protective immunity in murine schistosomiasis

Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni develop a dramatic (five- to eightfold) increase in numbers of peritoneal leukocytes, and approximately 65% of these cells are macrophages. By several biochemical and cytochemical criteria, these cells were comparable to resident peritoneal macrophages of normal mice. However, macrophages from schistosome-infected mice exhibited significant nonspecific tumoricidal activity in vitro, a function associated with immunologically activated cells. The time course for development of activated macrophages in the peritoneal cavity was dependent upon the route of infection. Cytotoxic cells were present in the peritoneal cavity by 3 weeks after intraperitoneal infection, but were not evident until several weeks later in animals infected percutaneously, subcutaneously, or intravenously. However, by 3 weeks after subcutaneous infection, tumoricidal macrophages appeared in the peritoneal cavity after intraperitoneal challenge with soluble schistosome antigens. Macrophage activation was independent of the development of egg granulomas, since tumoricidal cells could be found prior to the onset of egg production and were also present in mice infected with only male worms. Development of activated macrophages in these instances is thus consistent with previous observations on induction of T lymphocyte reactivity toward schistosomula. Since other manipulations known to activate macrophages have been shown to induce partial resistance to schistosome infection, the finding that macrophage activation results from primary S. mansoni infection itself suggests that these cells may play a major role in acquired immunity to this parasite.     

Action of plant extracts on the natural immunity indices of animals

The influence of extracts from oak bark, St. John's-wort leaves and pine buds on natural immunity characteristics of mice has been studied. The injection of these extracts into mice has been found to enhance their resistance to infection with Staphylococcus aureus and Bordetella pertussis virulent cultures, to decrease the enzymatic activity of 5'-nucleotidase in the peritoneal exudate macrophages of mice and to increase the level of lysozyme in their blood. The action of these extracts has proved to depend on their dosage and the time of observation.     

Evaluation of the functional activity of peritoneal macrophages using the tetrazolium test

The redox activity of peritoneal macrophages has been evaluated in the modified NBT test using tetranitro blue tetrazolium. This method permits the calculation of the total amount of peritoneal macrophages and the determination of their glass adherence per cent and their cytochemical activity value. The advantages of this method over the study of the phagocytic activity by means of phage T2 is shown.     

Effects of dextran sulfate 500 on protective responses to sublethal Trichomonas foetus infection in mice

In order to analyze the host-parasite interactions in experimental trichomoniasis, the growth of Trichomonas foetus in the peritoneal cavity and changes in the peritoneal exudate cells were followed in mice treated with dextran sulfate 500 (DS 500), a known macrophage-toxic agent. Light microscopic observation showed that DS 500 treatment induced degeneration of peritoneal macrophages within about 48 hr after the treatment and the damaged macrophages did not phagocytize the parasites, whereas peritoneal neutrophils and lymphocytes were not affected by the drug. In the DS 500-treated mice, growth of parasites in the peritoneal cavity was accelerated and a high susceptibility of the mice to T. foetus infection was observed. These results indicate that macrophages play the most important role among the peritoneal exudate cells in resistance to T. foetus infection, especially during the early stage of infection.     

Thein vitro phagocytic activity of guinea-pig macrophages toSalmonella typhi andSalmonella enteritidis

The engulfing, bactericidal and degrading activities toSalmonella typhi, strain ty2-4446 and 0-901 and toSalmonella enteritidis of guinea pig macrophages obtained from peritoneal exudate, spleen and bone marrow that were cultivated for 2–7 days, were studied. The phagocytic activity was expressed as a total number of phagocytosed microbes and the number of viable bacteria, released from mechanically disrupted macrophages. The ratio of phagocytosed bacteria to the original number of bacteria that were introduced to macrophage cultures, were evaluated in per cents. No significant difference in phagocytic activity was found between macrophages submitted to thein vitro cultivation and macrophages freshly isolated from the organism. Profound variations in phagocytic activity of cells were found which were partially dependent on the dose of microbes employed for the infection of cultures. Furthermore, both the engulfing and bactericidal activity of peritoneal macrophages toSalmonella typhi were found to be higher than in bone morrow macrophages.Salmonella typhi 0-901 microbes were phagocytosed by macrophages from bone marrow and peritoneal exudate much better thanSalmonella typhi ty2. In addition, a significant delay in bactericidal activity toSalmonella typhi ty2 of bone marrow macrophages in comparison to peritoneal macrophages was observed. The spleen macrophages possessed better phagocytic and killing activity toSalmonella enteritidis than bone marrow macrophages. A striking difference was found as regards the intracellular growth ofSalmonella typhi andSalmonella gertneri: no multiplication ofSalmonella typhi within the peritoneal and bone marrow macrophages was observed during the 3–5 h cultivation, whereas on the other hand,Salmonella gertneri started to grow intracellularly within the 5 h cultivation in the bone marrow macrophages.     

Experimental effect of lysozyme on macrophage metabolism and resistance to infection

The peritoneal macrophages of mice treated with lysozyme were studied by cytochemical assay. In single and repeated doses of 0.5-5 mg/kg lysozyme induced an increase in macrophage metabolism. This was evident from an increased activity of succinate dehydrogenase, NADP X N-DH and the enzymes catalyzing glycolysis typical of these cells (lactate dehydrogenase and alpha-glycerophosphate). The changes in the activity of the enzymatic systems were most pronounced in minute and less mature macrophages after repeated administrations of the drugs. In a dose of 50 mg/kg lysozyme somewhat decreased the activity of a number of the enzymes. In the doses optimal for the macrophage activity lysozyme had a low effect on the infection resistance and slightly increased the cephotaxim efficiency in experimental staphylococcal infection. This may be mainly due to the immunomodulating effect of lysozyme and its low effect on the large macrophages having the bactericidal effect.     

Recruitment of exogenous macrophages into metastases at different stages of tumor growth

Summary The endogenous tumor-associated macrophage content and recruitment of labeled peritoneal exudate cells into experimental murine B16 melanoma metastases has been examined at different stages in the progressive growth of metastatic lesions. The recruitment of thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal exudate cells and peritoneal exudate cells activated in vitro with muramyl dipeptide was studied. Tumor-associated macrophages and labeled peritoneal exudate cells were identified in paraffin sections by specific histochemical staining and their density in individual metastases measured morphometrically. The density of tumor-associated macrophages and exogenously recruited peritoneal exudate cells was high in very small lesions but decreased rapidly as a function of enlargement of metastases, MD:Aⁿ; where MD is macrophage density, A is the cross-sectional area of the lesion and n is a negative number. No significant difference was observed in the recruitment of activated and nonactivated peritoneal exudate cells. These results suggest that decreased recrutiment of macrophages from the circulation may explain the decrease in the density of tumor-associated macrophages as metastases grow and indicate that macrophage activation is not accompanied by enhanced localization and/or uptake of macrophages into metastases.     

The contribution of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species to the killing of Francisella tularensis LVS by murine macrophages

Intracellular killing of Francisella tularensis by macrophages depends on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-induced activation of the cells. The importance of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) or NADPH phagocyte oxidase (phox) for the cidal activity was studied. Murine IFN-gamma-activated peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) produced nitric oxide (NO), measured as nitrite plus nitrate, and superoxide. When PEC were infected with the live vaccine strain, LVS, of F. tularensis, the number of viable bacteria was at least 1000-fold lower in the presence than in the absence of IFN-gamma after 48 h of incubation. PEC from iNOS-gene-deficient (iNOS-/-) mice killed F. tularensis LVS less effectively than did PEC from wild-type mice. PEC from phox gene-deficient (p47phox-/-) mice were capable of killing the bacteria, but killing was less efficient, although still significant, in the presence of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMLA), an inhibitor of iNOS. A decomposition catalyst of ONOO-, FeTPPS, completely reversed the IFN-gamma-induced killing of F. tularensis LVS. Under host cell-free conditions, F. tularensis LVS was exposed to S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), which generates NO, or 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1), which generates NO and superoxide, leading to formation of ONOO-. During 6 h of incubation, SNAP caused no killing of F. tularensis LVS, whereas effective killing occurred in the presence of equimolar concentrations of SIN-1. The results suggest that mechanisms dependent on iNOS and to a minor degree, phox, contribute to the IFN-gamma-induced macrophage killing of F. tularensis LVS. ONOO- is likely to be a major mediator of the killing.     

Sodium nucleinate increase of nonspecific macroorganism resistance to conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms

Sodium nucleinate significantly increased the non-specific resistance of mice to E. coli O26, Ps. vulgaris, Ser. marcesens, Ps. aeruginosa, Kl. ozaenae and their associations and total resistance also accompanied by a significant decrease in the number of the bacteria in the spleen and blood, the total number of the cells in the peritoneal exudate and the number of the cells adhering to the glass (macrophages). The preparation is a low molecular RNA consisting mainly of fraction 3S and a small amount of fraction 4S. It contains 1.5 per cent of protein and 2 per cent of DNA and does not contain any polysaccharides. Repeated purification of sodium nucleinate lowering the levels of the admixtures 5 times did not change its efficacy. The low molecular RNA of the rat liver (4S) had a pronounced stimulating activity. On infection of the host stimulated with sodium nucleinate, formation of the post-infection immunity was not decreased.     

Studies towards the potential of poliovirus as a vector for the expression of HPV 16 virus-like-particles

In this study we tested the hypothesis that after administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of concanavalin A (Con-A) to mice, the proportion of neutrophils and macrophages in the peritoneal exudate and their phagocytic and candidacidal activities should change with time. The number of neutrophils in the peritoneal exudate was greatly increased 6 h after administration of Con-A, and those cells were able to kill both intracellular and extracellular yeast and germ tube forms of Candida albicans. Addition of catalase to the culture medium reduced the killing of C. albicans, suggesting that the candidacidal activity depended on the myeloperoxidase system. The survival of mice pretreated with Con-A and submitted to an inoculum of C. albicans 6 h afterwards was twice higher than that of controls, which suggests that neutrophils were able to clear the experimental infection. One day after the treatment, the population of neutrophils in the exudate was about 45%, but after 2 days it was reduced to only 5% and the candidacidal activity was also reduced. After 4 days the exudate contained over 95% of macrophages, the candidacidal activity reached a maximum, and the phagocytosis mediated by both complement receptors and mannose receptors was increased. Uptake of FITC-mannose-BSA by macrophages was maximal on about the 4th day and was inhibited by mannan, suggesting that treatment with Con-A increased the activity of mannose receptors. These results support the hypothesis that activation of cellular immunity by Con-A occurred in two phases, one dominated by neutrophils, and the other by macrophages expressing increased activity of mannose receptors.     

Effect of injection of adult mouse peritoneal macrophages on suppressor cell activity in neonatal mice

Injection of adult mouse peritoneal exudate cells into newborn mice results in a premature decrease of splenic suppressor cell activity in the neonates. The effect becomes apparent 4–5 days after ip injection of 10–15 × 10⁶ thioglycollate-induced peritoneal exudate cells into mice on the day of birth. The macrophage in the peritoneal exudate is the responsible cell type. The effect is not H-2 restricted or strain limited. Heat-killed peritoneal exudate cells or peritoneal cells from unstimulated donors can also decrease neonatal suppressor cell activity prematurely. Adult spleen cells, injected into neonatal mice, do not affect suppressor cell activity. The data are discussed in light of the hypothesis that macrophages control suppressor activity in neonatal mice and that an increase in the number and/or function of macrophages shortly after birth results in a decrease in the number and/or function of suppressor cells, allowing for immunological competence to emerge.     

Stimulation of macrophage tumoricidal activity by the growth and differentiation factor CSF-1

The effect of the macrophage growth and differentiation factor CSF-1 on the tumoricidal capacity of murine peritoneal exudate macrophages was investigated. Pretreatment of peptone-elicited macrophages 1 day with 300-1200 U/ml CSF-1 induced moderate killing and greatly stimulated lymphokine (LK)-induced killing of [3H]thymidine-labeled TU5 sarcoma cells to levels above that seen with fresh macrophages. Further addition of CSF-1 at Day 1 at the time of the tumor lysis assay promoted moderate increases in spontaneous and LK-induced activity. CSF-1 did not stimulate freshly harvested exudate macrophages to lyse TU5 targets in the presence or absence of lymphokine (LK) activators. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 0.1-1000 ng/ml did not stimulate cytotoxicity, and the low endotoxin content and the use of polymyxin B and C3H/HeJ mice excluded a role for LPS in these experiments. Incubation of the macrophages with IFN and the myeloid growth factors IL-3 and GM-CSF did not stimulate tumoricidal activity. CSF-1 has been proposed as a therapeutic agent to restore myeloid cell numbers in induced (cancer chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, etc.) and natural aplastic anemias. These studies show that CSF-1 also may be useful in combination with LK activators to promote resistance to cancer in mature mononuclear cells. CSF-1 may have similar effects in LK-activated macrophages to enhance resistance to infectious diseases.     

The immunocorrective effect of laser reflexotherapy in experimental influenza infection

The influence of two schemes of laser acupuncture on some cell-mediated and humoral immunity characteristics of mice, as well as on their nonspecific antiviral resistance, in acute experimental influenza infection has been studied. The use of both schemes has been found to considerably decrease the severity of infection, enhancing the activity of lymphocytes of infected mice in the graft versus host reaction, the O2-producing activity of alveolar macrophages and modulating the ratio of antihemagglutinins and nonspecific antiviral inhibitors in the blood serum.     

Immunomodulating properties of salmozan and its effect on the functional activity of macrophages

The effect of salmozan on the resistance of mice to Listeria monocytogenes infection, the formation of delayed hypersensitivity (DH) to sheep red blood cells in the animals, as well as changes in some functional activity characteristics of macrophages have been studied. The study has revealed that salmozan enhances anti-infectious resistance, suppresses the dermal manifestations of DH, and decreases the level of 5'-nucleotidase in peritoneal macrophages, stimulating their phagocytic activity. The intensity of the drug action depends on the time of its administration. The most pronounced immunomodulating action and maximal changes in the function of macrophages have been registered simultaneously after the treatment of the animals with salmozan.     

Selective induction of enhanced complement receptor 3 activity on murine macrophages

A high proportion of murine resident peritoneal macrophages bear complement receptors 1 and 3 (CR1, CR3) which bind C3b and iC3b components of complement, respectively. By contrast, macrophages derived from bone marrow, blood, and the elicited peritoneal exudate are predominantly CR1+3. To determine if the microenvironment of the normal peritoneal cavity influences CR3 phenotype, we studied the effects of lavage from the cavity on cultures of primary peritoneal exudate macrophages, and on macrophages derived from progenitors in the bone marrow, blood, and peritoneal exudate. The cell-free peritoneal lavage (CFPL), after 24 hr of culture, induced CR3 on primary and culture-derived populations of peritoneal exudate macrophages but had no effect on the CR3 phenotype of macrophages derived from bone marrow or blood. The CR3-inducing activity in CFPL was abolished by heating at 70 degrees C for 30 min and by trypsin, and was not affected by adsorption with EA(IgM)iC3b indicator cells, demonstrating that it is not soluble CR3. Finally, exudate macrophages exposed to CFPL required at least 24 hr before they expressed CR3; such macrophages regenerated CR3 after the receptors were removed by trypsin. The selective effect of the activity in CFPL for peritoneal exudate macrophages indicates that the local microenvironment of the peritoneal cavity can influence the expression of CR3.     

Cytotoxic T cells in the peritoneal cavity of mice infected with ectromelia virus.

Peritoneal exudate cells from mice infected with ectromelia virus were cytotoxic for virus-infected target cells as measured in a 51Cr release assay. Cytotoxic activity seemed to be T cell-dependent as it was largely abolished by treatment with anti-theta serum and complement but was not impaired by macrophage depletion. The kinetics of development of cytotoxicity in the peritoneal cavity lagged behind spleen cytotoxicity by 1-2 days. Peak activity in peritoneal cells was present about 6 days after intravenous infection with virus. These studies suggest that macrophages present in the free peritoneal cell populations of ectromelia-infected mice are not cytotoxic for virus-infected target cells. The effect of macrophages in virus clearance is therefore likely to be due to phagocytic rather than cytotoxic effects.     

Induction of lymphocyte blast transformation by purified fibronectin in vitro

Purified rat plasma fibronectin (Fn) induces a dose-dependent, nonspecific proliferation of lymphoid cells isolated from spleen and lymph nodes, but has no effect on thymocytes. Proliferation of cells occurred after 4 to 5 days of incubation and was generally 5- to 10-fold greater than control cells cultured without Fn or in the presence of the same concentrations of rat serum albumin. The responding cell appears to be the T cell and requires the presence of adherent accessory cells (macrophages). Although purified T and B cells failed to demonstrate a significant increase in blastogenesis in the presence of Fn, reconstitution of T, but not B, cells with irradiated peritoneal exudate macrophages restored the stimulatory effect of Fn. Furthermore, comparison of the effect of various concentrations of macrophages on the restored T cell response shows that proliferative activity in the presence of Fn is dependent on a critical number of macrophages. Adding higher numbers of macrophages beyond the optimal concentration results in a sharp decline in lymphocyte responsiveness to Fn, although the proliferation of control cells continues to increase at these macrophage concentrations. Macrophages pulsed with Fn for 1 hr failed to evoke an increase in T cell responsiveness after 3 or 5 days of incubation. In addition, incubation of Fn-pulsed T cells with macrophages that had been precultured with or without Fn also failed to result in T cell activation. The effect of Fn on T lymphocyte transformation appears to be mediated indirectly through its interaction with the macrophage, because 125I-Fn, which shows significant binding to peritoneal exudate macrophages, fails to interact with purified T cells. Radiolabeled Fn also demonstrated little or no binding activity for unseparated lymph node cells.     

In vitro cytochemical and cytophysiological study of in vivo BCG-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages

The morphological, cytochemical (acid phosphatase activity) and cytophysiological (phagocytosis) features of mouse peritoneal macrophages activated in vivo by BCG, were investigated in vitro. BCG induced an increase in cytochemical and phagocytic activities of the activated peritoneal macrophages.     

Differences in iNOS and arginase expression and activity in the macrophages of rats are responsible for the resistance against T. gondii infection

Toxoplasma gondii infects humans and warm blooded animals causing devastating disease worldwide. It has long been a mystery as to why the peritoneal macrophages of rats are naturally resistant to T. gondii infection while those of mice are not. Here, we report that high expression levels and activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and low levels of arginase-1 (Arg 1) activity in the peritoneal macrophages of rats are responsible for their resistance against T. gondii infection, due to high nitric oxide and low polyamines within these cells. The opposite situation was observed in the peritoneal macrophages of mice. This discovery of the opposing functions of iNOS and Arg 1 in rodent peritoneal macrophages may lead to a better understanding of the resistance mechanisms of mammals, particularly humans and livestock, against T. gondii and other intracellular pathogens.