Effects of cadmium and lead on oxidative metabolism and phagocytosis by mouse peritoneal macrophages.

We investigated the effects of cadmium and lead on the oxidative metabolism of mouse peritoneal macrophages induced either by phagocytosis of zymosan particles or by membrane perturbation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) without phagocytosis. Oxidative metabolism activity was measured by chemiluminescence in the presence of lucigenin. Furthermore, cell viability was tested by dye exclusion test and phagocytic activity was measured by ingestion of latex particles. Within the first hour of exposure to the metals the effects of cadmium and lead in peritoneal macrophages were the same. The oxidative metabolism induced by PMA was enhanced by both metals, the zymosan-induced oxidative metabolism was reduced, markedly by cadmium and weakly by lead. Cell viability was not affected. After 20 h of exposure the effects of cadmium and lead were different. Cadmium did not alter either the oxidative metabolism induced by zymosan and PMA or phagocytosis of latex-particles. Lead concentration-dependently suppressed the oxidative metabolism induced by zymosan and PMA as well as phagocytosis of latex-particles. However, cadmium reduced cell viability concentration-dependently in contrast to lead that reduced cell viability only slightly.