NITRIC-OXIDE AND IMMUNE-COMPLEXES ARE INVOLVED IN THE INDUCTION OF A NOVEL LUMINOL CHEMILUMINESCENCE IN CYTOTOXIC MACROPHAGES

A chemiluminescence (CL) was observed immediately after the addition o f luminol to thioglycollate-elicited ICR mouse peritoneal macrophages (M phi) that had been incubated overnight with recombinant murine inte rferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The intensity of this CL was closely correlated with the cytotoxic activity of M phi . N-G-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO ) synthase, inhibited the induction of this CL, and L-arginine restore d the L-NMMA-induced inhibition. These results suggest that NO is dire ctly involved in the induction of CL. However, we found that immune co mplexes are required for the induction of CL as well as NO.