MACROPHAGE RESPONSES TO MOLDY HAY DUST, MICROPOLYSPORA-FAENI AND ZYMOSAN, ACTIVATORS OF COMPLEMENT BY ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (2) , 198-207
Abstract
Cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages exposed to moldy hay dust, M. faeni or glycopeptide or protein/glycoprotein fractions from this organism show marked biochemical changes. For comparison the interaction of cultured macrophages with zymosan was investigated. All these agents induce the release of hydrolytic enzymes from macrophages, even in the absence of serum in the medium. The release is time- and dose-dependent and is not associated with loss of the cytoplasmic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase or any other sign of cell death. The parallelism between the capacity of these agents to activate the complement system via the alternative pathway and to induce inflammatory responses in vivo and selective lysosomal enzyme secretion from cultures of macrophages is discussed. The in vitro phenomena seen with moldy hay dust, M. faeni, the protein/glycoprotein and the glycopeptide derived from it, may be relevant to understanding the role of mononuclear phagocytes in farmer''s lung disease and other inflammatory reactions.