STUDIES ON FIBRONECTIN IN INFLAMMATORY VS NON-INFLAMMATORY POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS .1. IMMUNOFLUORESCENT AND FLOW CYTOMETRIC ANALYSIS

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 60  (2) , 339-346
Abstract
Indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry were used to study the reactivity of an antibody to human fibronectin with human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). The intensity of reaction of this antibody with inflammatory vs. non-inflammatory PMNL was compared. Peripheral blood PMNL was the source of non-inflammatory cells and PMNL isolated from the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis was the source of inflammatory cells. These findings revealed considerably brighter staining of the inflammatory PMNL. Using flow cytometry as a method of measurement, a difference in fluorescence intensity of at least 40 channels (log scale) was observed in all 12 patients studied when comparing peripheral blood with synovial fluid PMNL. In inflammatory PMNL, fibronectin was found both at the intracellular and membrane levels of the cell whereas fibronectin could be detected only intracellularly in non-inflammatory PMNL.