Comparison of the effect of lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine to alter macrophage functions.

In vitro treatment of macrophages with lidocaine-epinephrine or prilocaine-felypressine resulted in inhibition of their adhesion, chemotaxis and phagocytosis. However, prilocaine-felypressine was a much more potent inhibitor of adhesion and phagocytosis than lidocaine-epinephrine. On the other hand, lidocaine-epinephrine induced transient potentiation of superoxide anion production by macrophages, while prilocaine-felypressine consistently inhibited this. Moreover, lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine both inhibited the production of hydrogen peroxide. In contrast, epinephrine strongly potentiated superoxide anion production, while markedly inhibiting hydrogen peroxide production. This potentiation by epinephrine was not prevented by adrenergic antagonists. In addition, superoxide dismutase potentiated the production of hydrogen peroxide, which was in part prevented by epinephrine. These results suggest that lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine inhibit adhesion, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and the production of hydrogen peroxide by macrophages. In addition, lidocaine-epinephrine evidently differs from prilocaine-felypressine regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying the modulation of superoxide anion production by macrophages.