Tuberc Respir Dis.  1990 Mar;37(1):66-73. 10.4046/trd.1990.37.1.66.

Superoxide Generation by Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cells in Patients with Tuberculosis

• KMID: 2528513
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1990.37.1.66

Abstract

Macrophage can kill tuberculous bacill through the toxic action of oxygen radicals after activation by lympho kines released from sensitized lymphocyte to tuberculous antigens In the lesion of the patient ent s with tuberculosis, the cytoxic abi li ty of macrophage ma y be decreased from the fact that fu nction of peripheral blood monocy te decreased in terms of migration, a ntigen. specific lymphoblast transformation and expression of immune associate antigen in patients with tuberculosis. In order to search for the functional status of macrophage located in the tuberculous lesion, we measured the amount of superoxide radical generated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells obtained from the tuberculous lesion. The results were 1) Generations of superoxide was low by the same number of BAL cells in patients with tuberculosis when compared with those in control group (p < 0.05) but the amount of superoxide corrected with the percentages of macrophage in patients with the was same as those in the control group. 2) The total number of BAL cells and the percentage of lymphocyte and neutrophil were markedly higher than those of control group (p<0.05). 3) Phorbol myrisate acetate enhanced the generation of superoxide in patients with tuberculosis to the same extent with those in control group and PPD more enhanced the generation of superoxide in patients with tuberculosis than those in control group (p < 0.05). 4) Tota l generation of superoxide by BAL cells obtained from tuberculous lesion was a little higher than those of control (p>0.05). In conclusion. the capacity to generate superoxide radical by the constant number of BAL cells decreased in patients with tuberculosis probably due to extracellular influence and the total amount of local synthesis of superoxide was an Ettle higher in patients with tubercuìosis than that in control group due to the increased number of infiltrating cells in tuberculous lesion.