Granule contents from rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes: antimicrobial properties and characterization.

The nonoxidative antibacterial properties of isolated rat polymorphonuclear leukocyte granule contents were examined using Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 and a series of progressively rough lipopolysaccharide mutants of this strain as target bacteria. The granule extract was most active at 37 degrees C, with a substantial decrease in activity observed at lower temperatures. Deep rough bacterial mutants were killed best within a pH range of 6-8, while killing of mutants with increased lipopolysaccharide content was most efficient at an acid pH of 5. The activity of the extract was dependent on incubation time but was independent of the number of bacterial cells present in the assay mixture. The killing action of the granule extract was inhibited by the cations Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Fe2+. The degree of inhibition was dependent on the type and concentration of ion used. Rough mutants grown with aeration to log phase were killed more efficiently than the same mutants grown to stationary phase under static conditions. Also, gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the extract than were gram-negative organisms.