Candidacidal Activity of Macrophages from Immunocompetent and Congenitally Immunodeficient Mice

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1994-07, Vol.170 (1), p.180-188
• Main Authors: Vazquez-Torres, Andres, Jones-Carson, Jessica, Balish, Edward
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Bacteriophages; Candida albicans; Candida albicans - immunology; Candidiasis; Cells, Cultured; Chemotaxis; Concanavalin A - pharmacology; Hot Temperature; Immunocompetence - immunology; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes - congenital; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes - immunology; Infections; Interferon-gamma - pharmacology; Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology; Macrophages; Macrophages, Peritoneal - cytology; Macrophages, Peritoneal - drug effects; Macrophages, Peritoneal - immunology; Major Articles; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Mutant Strains; Mice, Nude; Mutation; Neutrophils; Peritoneal macrophages; Phagocytes; Phagocytosis; Splenocytes; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Thioglycolates - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/170.1.180

The chemotactic, phagocytic, and candidacidal activities of peritoneal exudate macrophages from immunocompetent heterozygous (bg/+) and immunodeficient homozygous (bg/bg, bg/bg-nu/+, and bg/bg-nu/nu) beige mice were assessed. Overall, macrophages from all strains of mice tested not only were able to migrate into the peritoneal cavity in response to several eliciting agents but showed a comparable capacity to phagocytize fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled, heat-killed Candida albicans. However, some populations of peritoneal exudate macrophages from homozygous beige mice (e.g., thioglycollate-elicited) and resident peritoneal macrophages from bg/bg mice incubated in vitro with supernatants from concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes had poorer candidacidal activity than did control macrophages from bg/+ mice. Interferon-γ enhanced the in vitro candidacidal activity of macrophages from homozygous and heterozygous beige mice. As indicated by inhibitors, poor macrophage candidacidal activity seemed to correlate better with deficient nitric oxide- than with superoxide anion-mediated killing. These data suggest that impaired candidacidal activity of macrophages from homozygous beige mice may explain their enhanced susceptibility to candidiasis.