title: Inhibition of macrophage migration by muramyl peptides.
abstract: In the capillary tube migration system a synthetic muramyl dipeptide (MDP; N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine), a part of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans, inhibited the migration of peritoneal exudate macrophages from normal guinea pigs or rats. The migration inhibition was also caused by some MDP-containing peptidoglycan fragments from cell walls of Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The migration inhibition could not be explained on the basis of macrophage migration inhibitory factor. A stereochemically highly specific structure of MDP required for its adjuvant activity was also required for the macrophage migration inhibition. These findings suggest that MDP and MDP-containing cell wall fragments may activate macrophages and that this activation may be important in the exertion of their adjuvant activity.
mesh_terms: D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D002464:Cell Migration Inhibition; D005260:Female; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D006020:Glycopeptides; D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine