Stimulated Human Phagocytes Produce Cytogenetic Changes in Cultured Mammalian Cells

CHRONIC inflammation can be associated with cancer.¹ Phagocytes in inflammatory lesions enzymatically reduce oxygen to reactive metabolites, which include Superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals. These reactive species kill microorganisms, damage DNA, and lyse mammalian cells.^{2 3 4 5 6} Sublethal damage to genetic material in inflamed foci caused by phagocyte-derived oxygen metabolites may be one mechanism by which cancer arises in the presence of inflammation. The observation that human phagocytes are important in this mutagenic process^{7 8 9} is consistent with this idea, since there is a strong correlation between mutagenesis and carcinogenesis.¹⁰ In this paper we report that human phagocytes that are activated.