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. 1974 Jun;9(6):1051–1056. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.6.1051-1056.1974

Inhibition of Phagocytosis-Associated Chemiluminescence by Superoxide Dismutase

Lawrence S Webb 1, Bernard B Keele Jr 1, Richard B Johnston Jr 1
PMCID: PMC414931  PMID: 4857420

Abstract

During the process of phagocytosis, human leukocytes emit a burst of luminescence which can be measured in a liquid scintillation spectrometer. The enzyme superoxide dismutase, which removes superoxide anions (O2̄·), inhibited this chemiluminescence by 70% at a concentration of 100 μg/ml. The enzyme did not inhibit phagocytosis. These results support other studies indicating that O2̄· is elaborated by phagocytizing leukocytes. They also indicate that O2̄· plays a major role in phagocytosis-associated chemiluminescence, though not necessarily as the luminescing agent. Catalase and benzoate inhibited the chemiluminescence of phagocytosis to a slight extent, suggesting that hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical, respectively, might also be involved in this phenomenon. The relationship between the mediators of chemiluminescence and those responsible for phagocytic bactericidal activity remains to be defined.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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