Volume-dependent regulation of the respiratory burst of activated human neutrophils

The effect of incubation medium osmolality on the respiratory burst of human neutrophils was studied using luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) as an indicator of burst activity. Neutrophils were stimulated with N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), the calcium ionophore A23187, thermoaggregated IgG (IgGn), and opsonized zymosan (OZ). It was shown that increasing the osmolality of the incubation medium from 320 up to 420 mosM decreased the A23187- and OZ-induced CL responses by 90%. Under the same conditions PMA-, FMLP- and IgGn-induced CL responses were decreased by 40-60%. A decrease of osmolality to 200 mosM resulted in a 2-3 fold decrease of the A23187-, PMA- and FMLP-induced CL and in a 60-80% increase of OZ- and IgGn-induced CL. It is suggested that osmolality-mediated alteration of cell volume is an important mechanism for regulating neutrophil activity.