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The phagocyte chemiluminescence paradox: luminol can act as an inhibitor of neutrophil NADPH‐oxidase activity
Author(s) -
Fäldt Jenny,
Ridell Malin,
Karlsson Anna,
Dahlgren Claes
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
luminescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1522-7243
pISSN - 1522-7235
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-7243(199905/06)14:3<153::aid-bio534>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - luminol , chemiluminescence , nadph oxidase , chemistry , respiratory burst , superoxide , phagocyte , biochemistry , oxidase test , light emission , reactive oxygen species , enzyme , phagocytosis , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , chromatography , physics , optoelectronics
The chemiluminescence system amplified by luminol or isoluminol is a sensitive and widely used method for determination of respiratory burst products generated by the NADPH‐oxidase in phagocytes. The present study shows that luminol, but not isoluminol, can inhibit the release of oxygen metabolites generated by human neutrophil NADPH‐oxidase. The difference in structure between luminol and isoluminol (rendering luminol more lipophilic than isoluminol, and thereby membrane‐permeable), is suggested to determine indirectly whether or not the molecule is inhibitory. Luminol was shown to have an increased inhibitory effect after preincubation of neutrophils on a surface of aggregated IgG, suggesting that the cells can be transferred from a ‘luminol‐insensitive’ to a ‘luminol‐sensitive’ state. Since luminol had no inhibitory effect in a cell‐free NADPH‐oxidase system, it is likely that it interferes with the signal transduction pathway, leading to assembly and/or activation of the oxidase. As a consequence of the present results, showing that luminol but not isoluminol can inhibit NADPH‐oxidase activity, we suggest that isoluminol is used in future studies of superoxide anion release from phagocytes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.