Increased phagocytic cell chemiluminescence in patients with cystic fibrosis

The oxidative burst of polymorphonuclear cells and monocytes from patients with cystic fibrosis as measured by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence was examined after in vitro activation of the cells. All patients were outpatients at the time of the assays; their median age was 25.5 years (range, 12 to 33 years) and normal controls were young healthy adults. Stimulation of polymorphonuclear cells with phorbol myristate acetate, the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, and the calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in significantly greater chemiluminescence responses from the cells of patients than from the control cells. The monocyte response of patients to opsonized zymosan was also greater than that of controls. Thus, phagocytic cells from adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis have a greater chemiluminescence response to a variety of stimuli. This may result in tissue damage in the lungs of these patients and thus make them more susceptible to pulmonary infections.