OXIDIZED LOW-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN INDUCES THE PRODUCTION OF SUPEROXIDEBY NEUTROPHILS

Exposure of guinea pig peritoneal neutrophils to ox-LDL led to the pro duction of superoxide, which was measured by the formation of superoxi de-dependent chemiluminescence. The cells exposed to unoxidized LDL, e ,g. native LDL, acetyl-LDL, and self-aggregates of LDL showed no produ ction of superoxide. The superoxide production was correlated with the levels of oxidative modification of LDL and reached a maximum between 10 and 30 min during incubation, but preincubating the cells with cyt ochalasin B decreased the superoxide production, These findings indica te that neutrophils rapidly take up ox-LDL by phagocytosis and generat e superoxide which may cause superoxide-mediated lipid peroxidation in vivo.