Peroxidatic activity distinct from myeloperoxidase in human monocytes cultured in vitro and in alveolar macrophages.

Human monocytes develop a peroxidatic activity (PA) in rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) after adherence or after culture in semi-solid medium. This enzyme activity disappears after three days of culture in the majority of macrophages derived from adult monocytes but persists for one week in macrophages derived from neonatal monocytes. The PA is due to an enzyme distinct from myeloperoxidase (MPO), since monocytes from a patient with MPO deficiency develop the same PA as that of normal monocytes after adherence. By its localization and other characteristics, PA of adherent monocytes resembles that of rodent macrophages. We therefore investigated whether human alveolar macrophages exhibit PA, using a sensitive cytochemical method which prevents inhibition by aldehyde in adherent monocytes. In various pathological cases, four types of macrophages could be identified: the majority were peroxidase-negative, a small percentage was of exudate type exhibiting a PA in granules as blood monocytes, while few macrophages were intermediate, possessing only PA in RER i.e. of type resident and a smaller proportion had PA in RER and in granules i.e. exudate-resident macrophages. These findings demonstrate that human macrophages and adherent monocytes may exhibit PA in RER as has been reported for rodent macrophages. The true nature and function of the enzyme responsible for this PA, which is distinct from MPO, remains unknown, but some arguments seem to suggest its role in prostaglandin synthesis.