Differentiation by in vitro treatment of lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine in neutrophils.

Neutrophils are often the first cells of the immune system to encounter an invader, such as bacteria and fungi. Lidocaine-epinephrine induced transient potentiation of the production of superoxide anion, while prilocaine-felypressine induced persistent inhibition of the production in neutrophils. Moreover, lidocaine-epinephrine inhibited the production of hydrogen peroxide in spite that it potentiated the production of superoxide anion, while prilocaine-felypressine inhibited the production of hydrogen peroxide as well as superoxide anion. By contrast, lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine are both effective in significantly inhibiting adhesion and phagocytosis. Using flow cytometric analysis, both local anesthetics were found to be effective in inhibiting the expression of Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) in neutrophils. These results suggest that lidocaine-epinephrine and prilocaine-felypressine differentially modulate the production of superoxide anion, and could similarly inhibit adhesion, phagocytosis, and the production of hydrogen peroxide by neutrophils.