ACTION OF OXYGEN-FREE RADICAL SCAVENGERS AND INHIBITORS ON THE CHEMILUMINESCENCE RESPONSE OF MONOCYTES AND NEUTROPHILS IN RHEUMATIC-FEVER

Various scavengers of oxygen free radicals or inhibitor so their produ ction were used to measure the relative amounts of oxygen free radical s generated in phagocytic cells. The agents used were iodoacetate, sup eroxide dismutase, sodium benzoate, catalase and mannitol. The studies were made in patients with a recurrence of rheumatic activity, chroni c rheumatic heart disease or pharyngitis, and in normal controls. Mono cytes and neutrophils of the subjects were stimulated with latex in th e presence or absence of a scavenger/inhibitor and the per cent inhibi tion of the chemiluminescence response was calculated. There were 10 p atients in each group. Follow-up studies were done at 15 days, 3 month s and 6 months. In the patients with a recurrence of rheumatic activit y, the level of oxygen free radicals generated in the initial study wa s so high that the scavenger/inhibitors were able to reduce the chemil uminescence only in part. The diminution in chemiluminescence increase d during the follow-up period. In the patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease, the per cent inhibition of the chemiluminescence respon se was significantly higher in the initial study than that observed in patients with a recurrence of rheumatic activity, and it remained con stant during the follow-up period. The scavenger/inhibitors were almos t completely able to inhibit the generation of oxygen free radicals in patients with pharyngitis and in normal controls.