An in-vitro comparison of the intraphagocytic bioactivity of erythromycin and roxithromycin

The binding to human polymorphonuclear leucocytes and the intracellular bioactivity of the macrolide antibiotics erythromycin and roxithromycin on Legionella micdadei, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were investigated in vitro by the combination of a fluorochrome microassay and a radioassay. Polymorphs with intact or absent membrane-associated oxidative metabolism were used to investigate the interactions which may occur between the intrinsic oxygen-dependent antimicrobial systems of human polymorphs and the test antibiotics, in the elimination of intracellular microbial pathogens. Elimination of O2-dependent antimicrobial systems with retention of phagocytic activity was achieved by using polymorphs from children with chronic granulomatous disease NaF-pulsed normal polymorphs. Both antimicrobial agents were actively concentrated by polymorphs. Erythromycin was concentrated ten-fold and roxithromycin approximately thirty-fold above extra cellular levels. Both agents possessed intracellular bacteriostatic activity for all three test microbial pathogens. Depletion of polymorph O2-dependent intrinsic antimicrobial systems interfered with the intracellular bioactivity of both antibiotics. This emphasizes the importance of interactions between cell-associated antibiotics and phagocyte antimicrobial systems in the elimination of intracellular microbial pathogens. Like erythromycin, roxithromycin is concentrated by human phagocytes and is bioactive intracellularly.