Enhanced superoxide release and tumoricidal activity by a postlavage, in situ pulmonary macrophage population in response to activation by Mycobacterium bovis BCG exposure.

The monocytic phagocyte population of rat lungs is heterogeneous. In addition to the freely lavagable alveolar macrophages, there is a fixed in situ tissue-associated subpopulation of pulmonary macrophages. The response of this subpopulation to classical macrophage activation by Mycobacterium bovis BCG exposure was monitored. Results indicate that this population can be activated both metabolically and functionally, as evidenced by enhanced release of superoxide anions and demonstrable tumoricidal activity against syngeneic and xenogeneic target cells. The pattern of metabolic activation of in situ tissue-associated macrophages differed somewhat from that of alveolar macrophages and was observed only after subsequent exposure of the cells to either zymosan particles or phorbol myristate acetate. Upon such exposure, the activated zymosan-treated tissue macrophages released approximately twice as much superoxide as the nonactivated cells and amounts comparable to the amounts released by activated alveolar macrophages. The tissue macrophages also displayed greater levels of cytotoxicity toward xenogenic targets than the alveolar cells and may have an important role in preventing microbial or tumor cell colonization of respiratory systems.