SUMMARY
Neutrophils, short‐lived leucocytes that die by apoptosis, play an important role in the first stage of defense against bacterial infections. It has been reported that phagocytosis of intact bacteria or Candida albicans can accelerate neutrophil apoptosis. However, the mechanism of phagocytosis‐mediated neutrophil apoptosis is not well characterized. In this study, we evaluated whether ingestion of heat‐killed Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) enhances neutrophil apoptosis and whether this type of apoptosis is mediated by oxidative stress by using antioxidants and polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) from patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Co‐culture of PMNs with varying doses of S. aureus resulted in accelerated PMN death in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Increased PMN apoptosis was observed by both Annexin V and PI staining. Similar results were observed in PMNs of CGD patients. Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO, an OH• scavenger) did not significantly inhibit either S. aureus‐ingested PMN apoptosis or spontaneous PMN apoptosis. On the other hand glutathione (GSH, an H2O2 scavenger) significantly inhibited both types of apoptosis.
Our findings suggest that oxygen‐independent pathways may mainly operate in the process of phagocytosis‐induced apoptosis.
With early diagnosis and prompt institution of appropriate therapy, the mean age of CGD patients in Japan has been increasing, but the fatality rate has remained practically unchanged during the last 13 years, mostly due to the fungal infections.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.