Stimulus-Dependent Increased Generation of Oxygen Intermediates in Monocytes and Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes in Psoriasis

Based on recent findings indicating increased respiratory burst activity of monocytes (M phi) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in psoriasis upon stimulation with zymosan particles, we examined the question of whether incubation with various stimuli always results in augmented oxidative metabolism in psoriatic phagocytes. We compared M phi and PMN isolated from the peripheral blood of 12 patients with psoriasis and 12 control individuals. We measured the generation of oxygen intermediates of resting and stimulated M phi and PMN by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. The stimulants applied were: (1) aggregated immunoglobulin (aggIg), (2) zymosan, (3) zymosan opsonized with autologous se…