The effect of activation of granulocytes on enzyme release and hydrogen peroxide and superoxide production in buffaloes.

Polymorphonuclear cells kill microorganisms by the stock of antibiotic proteins and peptides stored in their lysosomal granules and have the ability to produce reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) such as H2O2, O2-, and HOCl. Since the components involved in the microbicidal functions of buffalo (Bos bubalis) polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) have not been characterized, an assessment was made of the levels of various enzymes, the extent of extracellular release of these enzymes, and also their ability to produce H2O2/O2- upon activation with opsonized zymosan (OZ) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using GPC-HPLC, OZ was shown to be a more potent secretagogue than LPS, causing a significantly greater release of low-molecular-weight components. Varying levels of the enzymes (myeloperoxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, acid and alkaline phosphatases, beta-galactosidase, beta-D-glucuronidase, elastase and lysozyme) were recorded in the buffalo PMN and both the activators (OZ and LPS) caused significant release of all the enzymes except alkaline phosphatase. Both the activators also caused a significant increase in H2O2/O2- production by the PMN. However, OZ caused a more pronounced activation than LPS. The studies revealed the presence of oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent microbicidal systems with buffalo PMN, which responded more effectively to zymosan activation.