[The significance of oxygen radicals in the pathogenesis of interstitial pulmonary processes].

The author assessed the production of superoxide anion radical (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by monocytes in blood and by alveolar macrophages in five healthy non-smokers and in four non-smokers with a bioptically confirmed cryptogenic fibrotizing alveolitis under basal conditions and after stimulation of the cells with 25 microM forbol myristate acetate. For assessment of the production of O2- and H2O2 he used the colorimetric method described by Pick and Keisari. Alveolar macrophages of patients with cryptogenic fibrotizing alveolitis produce increased amounts of O2- and H2O2 (33.4 +/- 6.7 and 36.2 +/- 7.6 nmol/10(6) cells/hour resp.), as compared with alveolar macrophages of healthy volunteers (5.8 +/- 2.3 and 6.23 +/- 2.7 nmol/10(6) cells/hour resp.). Blood monocytes of patients with cryptogenic fibrotizing alveolitis do not have an increased production of these radicals, as compared with healthy non-smokers (3.97 +/- 1.4 and 4.26 +/- 1.7 resp., as compared with 3.79 +/- 1.2 and 3.87 +/- 1.1 nmol/10(6) cells/hour resp.). After stimulation with forbol myristate acetate alveolar macrophages in patients with cryptogenic fibrotizing alveolitis increase the output of oxide radicals only slightly.