Spontaneous hydrogen peroxide release from alveolar macrophages of some cigarette smokers

Alveolar macrophages were retrieved by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 30 patients, 24 smokers and six nonsmokers. The macrophages were separated from other cells in the BAL fluid by glass adherence. The amount of hydrogen peroxide released into the media by these macrophages was then measured by a new method of determining hydrogen peroxide concentration. Two groups were found. Group 1, who did not spontaneously release hydrogen peroxide, were mostly nonsmokers (six of nine), and group 2, who spontaneously secreted hydrogen peroxide (87.5 +/- 17.08 nmol/10(6) macrophages [mean +/- SEM]), were all smokers (21 of 21). When the alveolar macrophages in group 1 were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate, they secreted as much hydrogen peroxide as the stimulated macrophages of group 2 (group 1: 125.0 +/- 92.08 nmol/10(6) macrophages, group 2: 116.7 +/- 14.82 nmol/10(6) macrophages). We conclude that there is a subset of smokers whose alveolar macrophages spontaneously release hydrogen peroxide.