title: Phagocytosis of alveolar macrophages after conagenin injection to rats.
abstract: Phagocytic functions of rat alveolar macrophages (AM) following intraperitoneal injection of conagenin (CNG) and of AM sub-populations fractionated by Percoll discontinuous gradient centrifugation were investigated. Phagocytosis of opsonized-sheep red blood cells (SRBC) following in vitro incubation with CNG showed a significant increase in a higher density of AM (fraction IV). In addition, phagocytosis was also increased in lower density ones (fractions I and II) by macrophage-activating factor (MAF) co-cultivation. CNG-injected rats for 5 consecutive days showed a dose-dependent increase in phagocytosis of AM compared to the control rats. Although the distribution of AM sub-population in rats injected CNG was not significantly different compared to the control rats, phagocytosis was significantly increased in AM of a lower density fraction (fraction II). These results suggest that CNG directly increases phagocytosis of AM in a higher density fraction, and indirectly enhances phagocytosis in AM of a lower density fraction via increasing MAF-like material production.
authors: Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, Japan. hamada@nutr.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Hamada
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Yamamoto
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Moriguchi
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Kishino
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D016215:Macrophage-Activating Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012694:Serine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016215:Macrophage-Activating Factors; C069645:conagenin; D012694:Serine