title: Effects of bacteriophages on free radical production and phagocytic functions.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a major role in mediating antibacterial functions of phagocytic cells. However, excessive ROS production may cause oxidative stress and tissue damage. Uncompensated ROS release has been implicated in a variety of disorders. Novel means of controlling elevated ROS production are urgently needed. We showed that homologous but not the heterologous phages inhibited, in a dose dependent manner, the degree of chemiluminescence in phagocytes induced by Escherichia coli. Treatment of the cells with the phages alone resulted in a small increase in ROS production. Homologous phages also facilitated phagocytosis when preincubated with bacteria. On the other hand, both homologous and heterologous phages inhibited phagocytosis following preincubation with phagocytic cells. The treatment of infected and uninfected mice with phages did not significantly alter the rate of phagocytosis by blood granulocytes and monocytes. In conclusion, we showed that bacteriophages can decrease ROS production by phagocytes. Although in some in vitro experimental models the phages tended to diminish phagocytosis, this phenomenon may be of little significance in clinical situations, since the process of eliminating bacteria in phage-treated patients is predominantly accomplished by both phages and phagocytes.
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-006 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Przerwa
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimecki
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Switała-Jeleń
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dabrowska
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.forename: Mirosław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Łuczak
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weber-Dabrowska
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Syper
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miedzybrodzki
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Górski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species