[Structural and functional study of acidification in the process of phagocytosis]

Morphometry and cytofluorometry of the kinetics of phagocytosis were applied to study the quantitative mechanisms of acidification in the area of contact between the plasma membrane of macrophages and Candida albicans yeast cells conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate. It was found by stereological transformation of the morphometry data that the main part of macrophages phagocytose the limiting amount of particles by minute 5-10. A good agreement was established between the cytofluorometric histograms and the stereological data. This made it possible to evaluate, using the calibration curve, the pH on the surface of the phagocytosed material based on the fluorescence quenching. As an advantage of the suggested comprehensive approach to the study of acidification, the authors stress the possibility of making structural-functional analysis of the rearrangements occurring in the intact phagocytosing cell.