Respiratory burst activity is impaired during phagocytosis of gelatinized fixed erythrocytes by inflammatory macrophages.

The ability of immune and nonimmune opsonized gelatin-coated particles to stimulate respiratory burst activity by inflammatory macrophages was studied. The uptake and phagocytosis of 51Cr-labeled gelatin-coated fixed erythrocytes, opsonized with either specific IgG or purified plasma fibronectin, was measured in monolayer cultures of rat inflammatory peritoneal macrophages. Respiratory burst activity was evaluated in monolayers of rat inflammatory peritoneal macrophages by measuring: (1) luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and (2) the production of 14CO2 from the oxidation of [1-14C] glucose. Uptake of opsonized gelatin-coated, fixed erythrocytes resulted in no stimulation of chemiluminescence and only a limited stimulation of [1-14C] glucose oxidation. Respiratory burst activity produced by phorbol myristate acetate was not inhibited during the uptake of opsonized gelatin-coated particles. These data suggest that metabolic processes associated with macrophage respiratory burst activity may not be coupled to the ingestion of opsonized gelatin-coated fixed erythrocytes.