The effect of phenylbutazone and chloramphenicol on phagocytosis of radiolabelled Candida albicans by human monocytes cultured in vitro.

The effect of phenylbutazone and chloramphenicol on the function of blood monocytes cultured in vitro was studied. Both drugs had an inhibitory effect on the engulfment stage of phagocytosis. While a moderate effect only of chloramphenicol on digestion of engulfed yeast particles was found, phenylbutazone caused a marked reduction of the digestion of engulfed particles. Concomitant with this reduction of digestive ability, the lysosomes showed no morphological alterations as observed in control cultures without drug addition, indicating a lack of fusion between the engulged particles and lysosomes in the presence of phenylbutazone.