Macrophage metabolism during phagocytosis and digestion of normal and IgG antibody-coated sheep erythrocytes.

The respiration rate, aerobic glycolysis and glycolytic enzyme activities of purified mouse peritoneal macrophages increase during phagocytosis of either free or antibody-coated SRBC. These changes, however, seem to be roughly parallel to the amount of phagocytized antigen. In the digestive phase, Ag-Ab complexes induce more marked changes in macrophage metabolism than a comparable amount of free antigen. Lactate production, activity of several glycolytic enzymes and alanine-aminotransferase as well as glycogen content are greatly affected. Since in cell transfer experiments macrophage-associated SRBC can prime normal recipients for antibody response, whereas cell-associated SRBC-antibody complexes cannot, it is concluded that the changed macrophage metabolism drives antibody-coated antigen into metabolic channels allowing its rapid and total degradation.