Macrophages possess several substances with which they can kill bacteria, including reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and antimicrobial proteins. Here, macrophage elastase, an enzyme implicated in several disease processes including emphysema, is shown to have direct antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
- A. McGarry Houghton
- William O. Hartzell
- Steven D. Shapiro
