Oxygen Consumption during the Initial Stage of Human Leucocyte Phagocytosis of Polystyrene Latex Particles

A polarographic method of studying oxygen consumption during phago cytosis by human leucocytes has been evaluated. Oxygen consumption during phagocytosis is markedly increased by raising the temperature from 20°C to 37°C, and inhibited by EDTA. Further, 2-deoxy-D-glucose inhibited the increase, but inhibition was stronger in combination with oligomycin. This indicates that the energy for phagocytosis is mainly derived from glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation playing a minor role. The increase of oxygen consumption by washed human leucocytes during phagocytosis was greater in heparinized plasma than in serum. The difference was due to heparin. Heat-inactivated serum had a higher stimulatory effect than untreated serum. The combination of both calcium and magnesium, added to dialyzed plasma, showed a greater stimulatory effect than did magnesium alone. Calcium alone had no stimulatory effect.