Some biochemical and functional characteristics of macrophages activated by Tetrahymena pyriformis.

Phagocytosis, enzyme activities and capacity to release hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2-) of peritoneal macrophages from mice inoculated with Tetrahymena pyriformis, a free-living ciliate, were examined in comparison with resident and BCG-activated macrophages. Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis of sheep erythrocytes was markedly increased in Tetrahymena-activated macrophages to the same level as that seen in BCG-activated ones. Tetrahymena-activated macrophages showed an increased level of acid phosphatase (lysosomal enzyme) and a reduced level of alkaline phosphodiesterase I (plasma membrane ectoenzyme) as compared with resident macrophages. Similar changes in the activities of the two enzymes were also observed in BCG-activated macrophages. Both Tetrahymena- and BCG-activated macrophages exhibited more enhanced capacity to release H2O2 and O2- than resident macrophages when stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate. In the macrophages from mice inoculated with varying doses of Tetrahymena, a significant correlation was observed between the increased capacity of H2O2 and O2- release as observed in the present study, and the enhanced toxoplasmacidal activity as observed in a previous study, in a dose-dependent fashion.