Human bronchoalveolar lavage cells from several different disease states were examined by the technique of zymosan-stimulated, luminol-dependent chemiluminescence. Light production correlated well with polymorphonuclear leucocyte contamination of the alveolar macrophage suspension but not with lymphocyte contamination. Regression analysis indicated that human alveolar macrophages produce little...

The enhanced effect of chemiluminescence (CL) of lucigenin (Luc(2+)) at a flat liquid/liquid interface and at O/W emulsions was demonstrated. The CL was emitted when Luc(2+) was transferred from an organic phase to an aqueous one containing NaOH and H(2)O(2). The CL intensity and emission spectrum depended strongly on the kind of organic solvent. We attempted to apply the CL reaction of Luc(2+)...

NADPH oxidase is critically involved in increased blood pressure, vascular hypertrophy, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in experimental and clinical hypertension. We hypothesized that NADPH oxidase might also play a role in the development of spontaneous aortic tone in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were used as normotensive controls. Tone was recorded u...

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used drugs that may increase the cardiovascular risk by mechanisms not entirely known. While PPIs increase asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels and inhibit nitric oxide production, it is unknown whether impaired vascular redox biology resulting of increased xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) activity mediates PPIs-induced endothelial dysfunction (ED). We...

The effects of two mast cell stabilisers, sodium cromoglycate (SCG) and doxantrazole, on the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were studied. Guinea-pig alveolar macrophages (AMs) generated lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL). This was increased when the cells were stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or zymosan (by 133% and 464%, respectively, in total LDCL over 60 mi...

In contrast to results with bacterial suspensions, phagocytosis of unopsonized bacteria readily occurs when bacteria are adhered to glass or plastic surfaces. However, in contrast to neutrophils, alveolar macrophages produced much less DNA denaturation as measured by acridine orange metachromasia of phagocytized Staphylococcus aureus. We have studied the phagocytosis of unopsonized surface-adhe...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Inflammation is thought to be a major contributor to carotid artery disease. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates inflammatory mechanisms thought to contribute to endothelial dysfunction by mechanisms that are not well defined. The goal of this study was to determine whether overexpression of CuZn-SOD protects against LPS-induced increases in superoxide and endothelial dysf...