The method using lucigenin-dependent phagocytic chemiluminescence is described for the assessment of alveolar macrophage metabolic activity in response to stimulation by opsonised particles or soluble agents. The requirement for superoxide anion (O2-) in the production of chemiluminescence is suggested by inhibition (95%) using superoxide dismutase. The results obtained are correlated with thos...

We determined the effect of inhaled corticosteroid, budesonide, on the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10 (IL-10), and of pro-inflammatory cytokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 a (MIP-1 a ), interferong (IFNg ), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), from blood monocytes and alveolar macrophages of mild asthmatic subjects in a doubleblind, c...

BACKGROUND Alveolar macrophages are sentinels of the pulmonary mucosa and central to maintaining immunological homeostasis. However, their role in governing the response to allergen is not fully understood. Inappropriate responses to the inhaled environment manifest as asthma. METHODS We utilized a mechanistic IL-13-driven model and a house dust mite allergen mucosal sensitization model of al...

Each ovarian cycle, the mammary gland epithelium rotates through a sequence of hormonally regulated cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. These studies investigate the role of macrophages in this cellular turnover. Macrophage populations and their spatial distribution were found to fluctuate across the cycle. The number of macrophages was highest at diestrus, and the greatest numbe...

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is characterized by excessive accumulation of surfactant-like material in the alveoli, resulting in part from defective alveolar clearance by macrophages. We present a case of alveolar proteinosis in a patient with malignant melanoma metastatic to lung and discuss possible alteration in macrophage function in the pathogenesis of these two concomitant processes.

Nitric oxide and alveolar macrophage inflammation http://ow.ly/czCx30i12n8.

N-Formyl methionyl phenylalanine increased alveolar macrophage adherence and diameter and induced morphological changes associated with activation. N-Formyl methionyl phenylalanine may be useful in understanding macrophage activation and bacteriolytic function.

The initial interaction between migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and the guinea pig alveolar and peritoneal macrophage was studied. MIF-containing supernatants were generated from sensitized lymph node lymphocytes obtained from guinea pigs immunized with bovine gamma globulin in complete Freund's adjuvant. MIF-containing supernatants were markedly inhibitory for the migration of the peritoneal...