Particle-induced in vivo priming of alveolar macrophages for enhanced oxidative responses: a novel system of cellular immune augmentation.

A novel system for priming adult rabbit alveolar macrophages (AMs) in vivo for markedly enhanced oxidative responses is described. When adult rabbits were injected intravenously (i.v.) with 1- to 5-microns particles such as zymosan, latex particles, or heat-killed bacille Calmette-Guérin, AMs were primed in 1-3 days for greatly enhanced phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)- or opsonized zymosan (Op-zym)-elicited chemiluminescent (CL) responses. Intratracheal (i.t.) injection of zymosan particles also primed AMs for enhanced PMA- or Op-zym-elicited CL responses. AMs obtained from particle-injected rabbits showed up to 100-fold higher levels of PMA-elicited CL responses than AMs from normal rabbits. In contrast, Op-zym failed to prime normal AMs in vitro for enhanced CL responses. Whereas AMs could not be primed in vivo with an i.v. injection of particles of approximately 24 microns diameter. AMs could be primed if the particles were administered by the i.t. route. The priming appears to be independent of particle types. The priming effect was of short duration and declined after 5 to 7 days. The possibility that this system represents the primitive cellular immune response found in invertebrates is discussed. The potential use of this system as a means of immune augmentation prompts further investigation.