The superoxide anion in lymphocyte transformation.

This work suggests that reactive oxygen intermediates can stimulate lymphocytes mitogenically. Incubation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes in solutions of potassium superoxide induced high levels of uptake of tritiated thymidine as did activation of monocyte production of superoxide ions using zymosan-A. Superoxide dismutase successfully reduced this stimulation but catalase and mannitol, scavengers of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, respectively, had no effect. The same cells are also shown to become more adhesive after superoxide treatment and we would suggest that these two phenomena may be linked.