Rat surfactant protein D enhances the production of oxygen radicals by rat alveolar macrophages

Rat surfactant protein D (SP-D) was shown to enhance the production of oxygen radicals by rat alveolar macrophages. This enhancement, which was determined by a lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence assay, was maximal after 18 min at an SP-D concentration of 0.2 micrograms/ml. Surfactant lipids did not influence the stimulation of alveolar macrophages by SP-D, whereas the oxygen-radical production of these cells induced by surfactant protein A was inhibited by the lipids in a concentration-dependent manner.