Comparative biochemical and cytochemical studies on superoxide and peroxide in mouse macrophages.

Maximal rates of superoxide (O-2) release, and the cytochemical locales of peroxide staining in resident, elicited, and activated macrophages have been determined. Macrophages elicited into the peritoneum with either casein (1.2% w/v) or proteose-peptone (10.0% w/v) release about twice as much O-2 as macrophages activated by infection of the animals with either Listeria monocytogenes, or Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) followed by immune boosting with Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) (i.e., about 35 vs. 14-18 nmol O-2/min/10(7) cells). Macrophages elicited with thioglycollate (3.0% w/v) and resident macrophages produce negligible amounts of O-2 upon stimulation with PMA. These data are compared with those reported by other investigators who used different procedures. A cytochemical procedure for localizing peroxide has been modified for use with murine macrophages. No production of H2O2 by macrophages is detected cytochemically in the absence of stimulation. Upon exposure to PMA, resident macrophages are still largely unresponsive. Approximately 20% of the casein elicited macrophages and BCG-PPD activated macrophages exhibit H2O2 staining, which is largely restricted to the cytoplasmic vesicles and channels induced by PMA in these cells. The only exception to this staining pattern is a small population (about 2%) of activated macrophages which exhibits H2O2 staining in the cytoplasmic vesicles and channels and on the plasmalemma as well.