EFFECT OF ADHERENCE TO PLASTIC ON PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONOCYTE AND ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGE CHEMILUMINESCENCE

The chemiluminescence of peripheral blood monocytes and alveolar macro phages was determined in the presence of luminol and lucigenin, either before or after the cell adherence to the luminometer curvettes. In t he case of monocytes, cell adherence induces an increase of luminol-de pendent chemiluminescence and has almost no effect on the lucigenin-de pendent chemiluminescence. However, it shows a strong inhibition of th e lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence and almost no effect on lumino l-dependent chemiluminescence, in the case of alveolar macrophages. Th ese results show that adhesion to plastic alters the metabolic burst o f both monocytes and alveolar macrophages. Although the mechanisms are poorly understood, they seem to be related to the modifications that take place during the differentiation of peripheral monocytes to alveo lar macrophages.