Modification of interactions between neutrophils and staphylococci by lysosomotropic weak bases

Weak bases that alkalinize the pH within neutrophil lysosomes inhibit in vitro cell functions, including lysosomal enzyme release and superoxide production. To determine the relevance of this inhibition to microbicidal activity, the effect of lysosomotropic weak bases on interactions between human neutrophils and Staphylococcus aureus 502a was studied. After treatment with 1 mM chloroquine, neutrophils showed significantly impaired phagocytosis of 14C-labeled S. aureus. However, 50 mM ammonium chloride had no effect on phagocytosis, although we have previously shown that this concentration raises lysosomal pH and inhibits degranulation and superoxide production. This base was therefore used to study effects on intracellular microbicidal activity. Incubation of neutrophils with 50 mM ammonium chloride diminished killing of S. aureus (22.9 +/- 6.3% of bacteria surviving versus 8.2 +/- 1.3% in suspensions without ammonium chloride). At 1 mM, ammonium chloride had no significant effect. The inhibition of cellular function could be neither explained as a function of neutrophil death, as measured by trypan blue dye exclusion, nor attributed to direct promotion of bacterial growth (in the absence of neutrophils, colony counts were similar in the presence or absence of ammonium chloride) or enhanced resistance to neutrophil microbicidal mechanisms (bacteria treated with ammonium chloride and washed before neutrophil exposure showed no improvement in survival). Ammonium chloride at 50 mM also impaired neutrophil killing of S. aureus in an anaerobic chamber, but microbicidal activity against Escherichia coli S15 was not affected. These findings suggest that optimal neutrophil killing of staphylococci requires a highly acid intralysosomal compartment, but ingestion of bacteria does not. This may reflect primary failure of acidification of the phagocytic vacuole or differential pH requirements for fusion of the plasma membrane with itself and with lysosome membranes. The difference between effects on killing of S. aureus and E. coli is probably a result of the relative importance of the components of neutrophil microbicidal activity against the two organisms.