We previously demonstrated that soluble animated beta-1,3-D-glucan (AG) is internalized after binding to a specific beta-glucan receptor on macrophages. Internalization, but not binding, of AG is reduced when the macrophages are treated with IFN-gamma. Because our data indicated that AG is taken up by macrophages through beta-glucan receptor-mediated endocytosis, we wanted to characterize further the inhibitory effect of IFN-gamma on endocytosis. We compared the internalization of AG and neutral red (NR). NR is internalized by macrophages through fluid-phase endocytosis. AG and NR showed a similar influx/efflux pattern. The initial rate of accumulation was much larger for AG than for NR, however, probably because of the involvement of the beta-glucan receptor in the uptake of AG. Internalized AG was associated with membranes of the endocytic vesicles and formed characteristic rings on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images. Both the influx and efflux of AG and NR was inhibited by treatment of macrophages with IFN-gamma. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) added to the cell cultures increased the accumulation of AG and NR and reversed the inhibitory effect of IFN-gamma. The effect of PMA was dependent on functionally intact microfilaments and microtubules. CLSM showed that the accumulated AG was localized mostly in small vesicles (size < 2 microns) in IFN-gamma-treated cells, in large and small vesicles in untreated cells, and mostly in large vesicles (size > 2 microns) in PMA-treated cells. In conclusion, IFN-gamma inhibits both the beta-glucan receptor-mediated endocytosis of AG and the fluid-phase endocytosis of NR, probably by inhibiting the formation of large vesicles.