Laser radiation (LR) of various spectral composition has been broadly used in clinical practice. However, the mechanism of the stimulating effects of LR remains obscure. The effect of He-Ne LR (633 nm) on human blood leukocytes was investigated both in the absence and presence of 8.65 nmol/l phthalocyanine (PhC). Irradiation of non-stimulated leukocytes with 0.025 to 0.5 J/cm2 did not lead to any activation of their luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LCL). On the other hand, LR increased in most cases the subsequent CL response of the cells to opsonized zymosan (priming action of He-Ne-laser light). The effect of LR on the leukocytes was not standard. In irradiated leukocytes isolated from patients with severe acute or chronic pneumonia, or chronic bronchitis, the maximal LCL exceeded that for non-irradiated cells by 80% (0.05 J/cm2), 20-25% (0.15 J/cm2), and 0%, respectively (doses are shown in parentheses). Further increase of the exposure brought about a dose-dependent inhibition of LCL in cells from patients with severe acute and chronic pneumonia. There was an intriguing relationship between maximal CL responses of leukocytes subjected to laser irradiation in the presence and without PhC. When the priming effect of LR on isolated cells was small, it increased in the presence of exogenous photosensitizer, phthalocyanine; in cells of severely ill patients where the initial effect of LR was strong, Pc inhibited the priming action of LR. Apparently, different cells contained different amounts of endogenous photosensitizer(s); the addition of exogenous sensitizer increased the priming action of LR at low concentrations and decreased it at higher concentrations of the endogenous photosensitizer.