Cellular damage and inflammatory processes cause activation of phospholipase A in plasma membranes resulting in the production of various lysophospholipids. Treatment of mice with L-alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine, a decomposition product of phosphatidylcholine, greatly stimulates mouse peritoneal macrophages to ingest target cells via the Fc receptors. Similarly, treatment of mice with L-alpha-lysophosphatidylethanolamine and L-alpha-lysophosphatidyl-L-serine resulted in an enhanced ingestion activity of macrophages. Cancer cell membranes contain alkyl ether derivatives of phospholipids and neutral lipids. Inflamed cancer cells release decomposition products of alkyl ether phospholipids and neutral lipids, alkyl-lysophospholipids and alkylglycerols, respectively. Administration of alkyl ether analogues of lysophospholipids into mice were able to induce stimulation of macrophages for ingestion with Fc receptor preference. Two synthetic alkylglycerols, dodecylglycerol and tridecylglycerol, were tested. Dodecylglycerol induced an efficient stimulation of macrophages for Fc-mediated ingestion whereas tridecylglycerol induced a minimal level of activation. Therefore, in vivo effect of dodecylglycerol on macrophage stimulation is similar to that of lysophospholipids and their alkyl analogues. These in vivo stimulations of macrophages for Fc receptor-mediated ingestion activity were reproduced in in vitro activation of macrophages by treatment of peritoneal cells with the alkyl lipid derivatives. Among these compounds, dodecylglycerol was found to be the most potent agent for macrophage stimulation. Since macrophages are antigen-presenting cells, the degradation products of cancer cell membrane lipids may have immune potentiating capacity.