Ceramide stimulates the uptake of neutral red in human neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes.
Neutral red is a vital stain known to be accumulated in the lysosomes of neutrophils and monocytes. It is used mainly to identify and detect the activated state of these cells. We have found that the extracellular application of physiological ceramide, i.e., a product of sphingomyelin hydrolysis and a newly defined intracellular second-messenger substance, increased the uptake of neutral red in a dose-dependent manner in human neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, as demonstrated by flow cytometry. Staurosporine was able to totally block this phenomenon, suggesting the involvement of protein kinase C in the process. These results indicate that the flow-cytometric analysis of ceramide-induced uptake of neutral red can be a new method for the evaluation of lysosome-related activation processes in both phagocytes and lymphocytes.
Sipka
S
S
University Medical School of Debrecen, 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Hungary. sipka@iiibel.dote.hu
Antal-Szalmás
P
P
Szöllösi
I
I
Csipö
I
I
Lakos
G
G
Szegedi
G
G
D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D002518:Ceramides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009499:Neutral Red / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000494:pharmacology
D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D002518:Ceramides; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids; D009499:Neutral Red; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019311:Staurosporine