THE IN VITRO EFFECTS OF SOLUBLE MANNAN ON MOUSE PERITONEAL MACROPHAGE FUNCTION (MYCOLOGY, CANDIDA ALBICANS)

A new method for assessing the candidacidal activity of macrophages using the supravital stain neutral red is described. This method is comparable to well established vital staining techniques, methylene blue and acridine orange, and to the lack of germ tube formation of Candida albicans as a method of assessing the candidacidal activity of phagocytic cells.;This study characterizes the inhibition by Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan on the phagocytic activity and phagocytic capacity of Concanavalin A elicited peritoneal macrophages towards unopsonized C. albicans and C. albicans opsonized with C3. The interference by mannan on phagocytosis of C3 opsonized C. albicans has not been previously reported. The phagocytic activity and phagocytic capacity of Con A elicited peritoneal macrophages towards C. albicans opsonized with either normal human serum or immunoglobulins are unaffected by the presence of mannan. The inhibitory effect of mannan on phagocytic cells' candidacidal activity and superoxide generation are confirmed for macrophages and expanded to demonstrate that the inhibition of these functions is independent of the type of opsonization employed. Lastly, this study demonstrates that phagolysosome fusion of macrophages is unimpaired by the presence of mannan which supports the previous observations that mannan does not interfere with neutrophil degranulation.