The uptake of 3H-dexamethasone during phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus by Human neutrophils.

In the normal human neutrophil under basal resting conditions, cell-associated levels of 3H-dexamethasone (3H-DXM) increased in a linear fashion following addition of the drug. However, during phagocytosis of 14C-labelled Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus), the intracellular 3H-DXM levels rose above basal concentrations in direct relation to the quantity of ingested organisms. The observation that the cell-associated activity of 3H-DSM rises in a parallel fashion to the quantity of ingested Staph. aureus must be recognized and taken into consideration as a variable, when assessing the results between resting and activated phases of neutrophil function in the presence of glucocorticoids.