Erythrocyte Catabolism by Macrophages In Vitro THE EFFECT OF HYDROCORTISONE ON ERYTHROPHAGOCYTOSIS AND ON THE INDUCTION OF HEME OXYGENASE

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Abstract

Phagocytosis of erythrocytes was studied in vitro in an incubation system consisting of rat peritoneal macrophages and antibody-coated 59Fe-labeled erythrocytes. The system was characterized in terms of the rate and magnitude of erythrophagocytosis, determined by the interiorization of the 59Fe label. On incubation of 150 × 106 macrophages with 75 × 106 antibodycoated erythrocytes, erythrophagocytosis began within a few minutes and was essentially completed after 2 h when 50% of the offered red cells had been ingested by the macrophages. Heme oxygenase (HO) activity, which is very low in native macrophages, increased 4- to 10- fold in response to the ingested erythrocytes; this enzyme stimulation occurred with a delay of 3 h in relation to erythrophagocytosis. Actinomycin D or puromycin prevented the increase of HO activity without affecting erythrophagocytosis, which suggests that the enzyme stimulation was due to substrate-mediated enzyme induction.

Authors

Diethard Gemsa, C. H. Woo, H. Hugh Fudenberg, Rudi Schmid