title: Macrophages as cytotoxic effector cells.
abstract: Cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system can be activated by lymphokines to both increased extracellular cytotoxicity against tumor targets and intracellular cytotoxicity against micro-organisms. In addition, these effector cells can kill antibody-coated target cells in an ADCC system. These two cytotoxic mechanisms can co-operate and act synergistically. Such an synergistic action is characterized by the specificity of the antibody which coats the target cells and not by the non-specific activation induced by high dosages of lymphokine. The lymphokine MCF has partially been purified and separated from a variety of other lymphokines. This purified material, when injected into mice intraperitoneally, activates the macrophages to strong cytotoxicity. Evidence obtained by the use of different rat anti-mouse macrophage monoclonal antibodies suggests that there exist different subpopulations of macrophage and that some of these subpopulations can be correlated to defined functions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D016215:Macrophage-Activating Factors; D008264:Macrophages / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D008222:Lymphokines; D016215:Macrophage-Activating Factors