Three major phagocytic populations in the mouse were tested in vitro for killing of Candida albicans by means of ⁵¹Cr release assay: early inflammatory peritoneal polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), unfractionated or adherent spleen cells and resident peritoneal macrophages (PEC). Considerable candidacidal activity was found in the early inflammatory neutrophil and adherent spleen cell populations. On the contrary, only limited activity was found to be associated with resident peritoneal macrophages. The phagocytic killing apparently involved multiple mechanisms. Les trois principales populations de phagocytes de Souris ont été essayées in vitro pour la lyse de Candida albicans au moyen de la méthode de libération du ⁵¹Cr: ce sont les polynucléaires péritonéaux de l'inflammation précoce (PMN), les cellules spléniques entières ou adhérentes et les cellules résidentes de l'exsudat péritonéal (PEC). Une activité candidicide importante se trouve associée aux populations de neutrophiles de l'inflammation précoce et aux cellules spléniques adhérentes. Au contraire, les macrophages péritonéaux résidents ne montrent qu'une activité limitée. La destruction phagocytaire semble ainsi dépendre de mécanismes multiples.

The J2 recombinant retrovirus expressing v-myc/v-raf (also known as MYC/RAF1) immortalized macro-phages from the bone marrow of lipopolysaccharide-responsive mouse strains, producing the ANA-1 cell line from C57BL/6 mice and the INF-3A cell line from C3H/HeN mice. In contrast, J2 recombinant retrovirus infection of the fetal liver from C57BL/6-Ly-5^a mice immortalized a cell line (GGD) that did not exhibit the characteristics of mature macrophages. The GGD cell line was classified as leuko-cytic on the basis of its expression of the Ly-6B.2, FcγR, and Ly-5.2 antigens. Our results indicate that the J2 recombinant retrovirus selectively immortalizes macrophages from the bone marrow of C57BL/6 and C3H/HeN mice but immortalizes cells without definitive macrophage characteristics from murine fetal liver under the same culture conditions. [J Natl Cancer Inst 81: 1492–1496, 1989]

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has several clinical applications (aesthetic surgery, dermatology, orthopaedics and ophtalmology). Following recent evidence, suggesting antimicrobial and antiviral properties for HA, we investigated its effects on 15 ATCC strains, representative of clinically relevant bacterial and fungal species. The in vitro system employed allowed to assess optical density of broth cultures as a measure of microbial load in a time-dependent manner. The results showed that different microbial species and, sometimes, different strains belonging to the same species, are differently affected by HA. In particular, staphylococci, enterococci, Streptococcus mutans, two Escherichia coli strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida glabrata and C. parapsilosis displayed a HA dose-dependent growth inhibition; no HA effects were detected in E. coli ATCC 13768 and C. albicans; S. sanguinis was favoured by the highest HA dose. Therefore, the influence of HA on bacteria and fungi warrants further studies aimed at better establishing its relevance in clinical applications.