The selective release of lysosomal acid hydrolases from mouse peritoneal macrophages by stimuli of chronic inflammation.

The paralelism between the capacity of various agents to elicit chronic inflammatory responses in vivo and to induce the selective release of lysosomal enzymes from cultures of mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro is discussed. Zymosan elicits an intense inflammatory response when injected i.m. in mice. Chrysotile asbestos produces a response of a similar nature and intensity as is seen with zymosan, while injections of acid-leached asbestos and polystyrene latex are not followed by inflammation. It is also shown that zymosan and asbestos induce a dose-dependent increase in the total enzyme activity of an inflamed muscle. On the other hand latex and acid-leached asbestos caused no significant increases in lysosomal enzyme levels. Agents eliciting inflammatory responses, such as zymosan and chrysotile asbestos induce a selective release of acid hydrolases from cultured macrophages; in contrast agents lacking the capacity to induce inflammation, such as latex and acid-leached chrysotile asbestos, do not induce the release of lysosomal enzymes from cultured macrophages.