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Clozapine, but not chlorpromazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, or loxapine, increases the concentrations of tryptophan, serotonin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in the brain of the rat. This effect of clozapine is due to an increased serotonin synthesis as demonstrated by an enhanced accumulation of 3H-serotonin in the brain after i.v. infusion of 3H-tryptophan. Clozapine also elevates the plasma concentration of free tryptophan, and reduces the plasma concentration of total tryptophan. Therefore, clozapine may increase the brain serotonin concentration by enhancing the availability of tryptophan in the brain, thereby promoting serotonin synthesis. Measurement of the rate of disappearance from the brain of 3H-serotonin or of endogenous serotonin after synthesis inhibition with 6-fluorotryptophan shows that clozapine has no direct effect on the release and degradation of serotonin. The effect of clozapine on brain serotonergic systems may possibly be related to the pronounced sedative and sleep-inducing properties of this drug.

Neutrophils and macrophages produce, store and release large amounts of various acid and neutral proteinases. The two main proteinases of neutrophils are elastase and cathepsin G. They are localized in the azurophil granules, together with proteinase 3 and the acid cathepsins B and D. In addition neutrophils contain collagenase in the specific granules, acid proteinases in the C-particles and plasminogen activator in organelles with the characteristics of secretory vesicles. The granule-bound proteinases are released during phagocytosis while plasminogen activator is apparently secreted. In macrophages, the acid hydrolases are bound to lysosomes while the neutral proteinases are confined to secretory vesicles. The main mechanism of enzyme release in macrophages is secretion. Lysosomal hydrolases are also released by phagocytosis. Enzyme secretion is a characteristic property of activated or inflammatory macrophages. Macrophages become activated after phagocytosis of certain particles and the metabolic burst appears to be an initial event in the activation process. The action of neutrophils and of purified elastase or plasmin on cartilage was tested. These experiments indicate that neutrophil-mediated degradation of cartilage proteoglycans is largely dependent on elastase.