Human and rat macrophages mediate fungistatic activity against Rhizopus species differently: in vitro and ex vivo studies.

Both rat alveolar macrophages and a human macrophages cell line with characteristics of human tissue (e.g., alveolar) macrophages (THP-1) were found to inhibit the germination of Rhizopus spores. However, the conditions under which fungistatic activity occurs are different for these two cell types. The inhibition of Rhizopus spore germination by rat alveolar macrophages requires the activation of macrophages and the presence of serum and L-arginine. During rat alveolar macrophage-mediated fungistatic activity, L-arginine is oxidized to nitric. Human macrophage-mediated fungistatic activity is similar to that mediated by rat macrophages in terms of the serum requirement, but it does not require L-arginine. Human macrophages did not produce any nitrite detectable by the colorimetric assay. Their ability to inhibit germination was enhanced by the combination of endotoxin and gamma interferon. The inhibition of Rhizopus spore germination by rat alveolar macrophages is thus mediated by the generation of nitric oxide, whereas the mechanism of similar inhibition by human macrophages remains poorly understood. Serum samples from diabetic rats as well as from patients with diabetes or uremia decreased the inhibitory effect of macrophages on spore germination. Dialysis of the serum samples against a buffered salt solution antagonized this phenomenon, indicating that a low-molecular-weight factor in the sera of patients with diabetes or uremia may modulate local antifungal defense mechanisms. The absence of L-arginine-dependent nitrogen oxidation in human macrophages, compared with its presence in rat alveolar macrophages, under conditions during which fungistatic activity occurs suggests that this phenomenon is species specific.