Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence produced by neutrophils stimulated by immune complexes

The origin of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) in neutrophils stimulated by immune complexes (IC) was investigated. It was found that CL induced by soluble IC and aggregated human gamma globulin (AHG) was glucose-independent, while insoluble IC-induced CL was diminished in the absence of glucose. AHG-induced CL was not inhibited by superoxide dismutase, catalase or 2,5-dimethyl furan, but was suppressed in the presence of phenol, sodium benzoate, sodium formate and mannitol. The CL was also inhibited by inhibitors of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism including 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, quinacrine, indomethacin and aspirin, and by prostaglandins E1 and E2, theophylline and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Luminol-dependent CL was also studied in cell-free systems including AA plus soybean lipoxygenase, hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid plus peroxidase and xanthine oxidase plus xanthine. Our results indicate that, in neutrophils exposed to soluble IC and AHG, CL is produced and this is closely linked to the formation of free radicals during the metabolism of AA. The radical(s) involved is likely to include the hydroxyl radical. In neutrophils stimulated by large aggregates of IC or micro-organisms, superoxide anion, H2O2 and singlet oxygen are also produced as a result of activation of NAD(P)H oxidase. These oxygen species function as oxidizing agents for AA metabolism and amplify the production of hydroxyl radical along the lipoxygenase (and possibly cyclooxygenase) pathway(s).