In vitro studies on normal, stimulated and immunologically activated mouse macrophages. II. Degradation of radioactive antigen/antibody complexes.

Radioactive antigen/antibody complexes are degraded to a greater extent by PE macrophages from C3H, CBA and C57Bl mice injected intraperitoneally with proteose-peptone (stimulated macrophages) and T.A.B. vaccine than by PE macrophages from normal mice and mice immunized with BCG (activated macrophages). On the other hand, spleen macrophages from mice immunized with BCG had a greater digestive capacity than macrophages from mice injected with proteose-peptone or T.A.B. vaccine or from normal mice. Thus, activated macrophages are capable of degrading antigen/antibody complexes, provided that the cells are harvested from one of the foci of BCG infection.