The effect of sodium azide on the chemiluminescence of granulocytes--evidence for the generation of multiple oxygen radicals.

It has been established that granulocytes generate superoxide (O-2) as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) during phagocytosis. The chemiluminescence (CL) generated by phagocytes appears dependent on these oxygen radicals (or). however, recent studies suggest that oxygen molecules, including singlet oxygen (1O2) or hydroxyl radicals (OH-), may also be generated during phagocytosis and contribute to CL. We have tested this possibility by studying human granulocyte CL in the presence of 0.1 mM sodium azide, a known inhibitor of myeloperoxidase and catalase and a scavenger of 1O2. The effects of azide on CL were correlated with the effects of this compound on hexose monophosphate shunt (hmps) activity, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye reduction, formate oxidation, and cytochrome c reduction. CL generated by granulocytes during the phagocytosis of zymosan particles was markedly impaired by azide (24% to 47% of control values). On the other hand, phenomena dependent in part on the presence of O2 radicals, i.e., reduction of NBT dye and cytochrome c, were not impaired by the presence of azide. As would be expected, inhibition of catalase by azide virtually abolished the oxidation of formate, but the burst in HMPS activity associated with phagocytosis was augmented further. The latter observation indicated that azide did not impair generation of H2O2 but increased the relative amount detoxified via the HMPS. The experiment provides evidence that radicals other than O-2 and H2O2 are generated during phagocytosis and that these radicals are major contributors to the CL phenomenon.