The release of elastase, myeloperoxidase, and lysozyme from human alveolar macrophages

Human alveolar macrophages from lungs of cigarette smokers were retrieved by lavage of surgical specimens. The macrophage secretions were harvested after 18 h of incubation. The medium contained at least 2 acid-stable factors that could release enzymes from cytochalasin-B-treated human neutrophils. Our study focused on the largest of these factors, which had an apparent mass ratio of 5,400 by gel filtration chromatography in 10% acetic acid. The high molecular weight (HMW) factor was partially degraded by trypsin. Chymotrypsin completely destroyed the factor, but human neutrophil elastase did not affect it. The factor is partially extractable into chloroform indicating that it is very hydrophobic and may contain a lipid. High concentrations of the HMW factor inhibited the release of lysozyme and myeloperoxidase. Because elastases can cause emphysema when introduced into alveoli of animals, the most important observation may be that the HMW factor was able to release elastase from human neutrophils attached to Millipore membranes in the absence of cytochalasin B. The enzyme-releasing factors may be identical to neutrophil chemotactic factors recently described by others. The contribution of the released elastase to the protease load in the lung may be augmented by the simultaneous release from neutrophils of myeloperoxidase, which can inactivate alpha 1-antitrypsin. This interaction between alveolar macrophages and neutrophils may have importance in the pathogenesis of emphysema.