Intracellular particle dissolution in alveolar macrophages.

Aerosol particles deposited in the lungs that are not readily soluble in the epithelial lining fluid will be phagocytized by alveolar macrophages (AM). Inside the phagolysosomal vacuole, the constituents of the plasma allow dissolution of a variety of compounds at a higher rate than dissolution in extracellular lung fluids. Chelator concentration and a pH value of about 5 were found to control intracellular particle dissolution (IPD). Hence, IPD is the initial step of translocation of dissolved material to blood, which is an important lung clearance mechanism for particles retained long term. IPD rates of uniform test particles determined in human, baboon, and canine AM cultures were similar to initial translocation rates determined in lung clearance studies of the same species after inhalation of the same test particles. IPD rate in cultured AM proved to be a sensitive functional parameter of AM, which was used to identify changes in the clearance mechanism of translocation during different exposure conditions.