ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS INHIBIT NEUTROPHIL CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY TOWARDS ERYTHROLEUKEMIC HUMAN CELLS

Human neutrophils activated by short exposure to TPA were effective mediators of K562 tumor cell cytotoxicity. The lysis of the erythroleukemic human target cells was monitored by 51Cr release assay. Steroid and non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents markedly inhibited the cytolytic reaction. The mechanism by which the neutrophils exerted the lytic activity was investigated by analyzing the role pf products of oxidative metabolism by use SOD and histidine, scavengers of superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical, repsectively. From the results obtained superoxide anion did not seem to be implicated in the neutrophil cytotoxic mechanism towards K562 target cells