Effect of some psychotropic drugs on the activated macrophage-induced luminol-dependent chemiluminescence

The effect of some psychotropic drugs on the activity of macrophages to pro duce superoxide radicals during phagocytosis was tested. Three-cyclic antid epressants, imipramine and amitriptyline, and the thioxanthene neuroleptic, chlorprothixene, were studied. The superoxide production was measured by l uminol-dependent chemiluminescence. The drugs were investigated in the conc entration range of 10(-7)-10(-4) mol/I. It was seen that all tested drugs c aused a concentration-dependent decrease of the luminol-dependent chemilumi nescence. The inhibitory effect of imipramine and amitriptyline on the macr ophage superoxide production was moderate, while the effect of chlorprothix ene was significantly stronger (a decrease more than 100 times that of macr ophaye chemiluminescence). Essentially, the luminol-dependent chemiluminesc ence reflects the level of superoxide radicals in the system. Therefore, th e effect of drugs may be due to the possible activity for scavenging supero xide, In additional experiments with different systems of generations of O- 2(-) and different methods of registration, this possibility was discarded. Therefore, the effect of the drugs on the luminol-dependent chemiluminesce nce seems to be due to drug-induced decrease of the ability of activated ma crophages to produce superoxide radicals.