Function of irradiated polymorphonuclear leukocytes obtained by buffy- coat centrifugation

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Abstract
Transfusion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) may be beneficial in the treatment of septic neonatal patients. Because of expense, donor availability and the technical effort involved in obtaining PMN by intermittent or continuous flow leukapheresis, buffy coat centrifugation of whole blood was suggested as an alternative source. An in vitro study was performed to determine whether PMN collected by this method have adequate oxdiative and migratory function measured by chemiluminescence (CL) and chemotaxis under agarose (CT), respectively. Whole blood samples from 6 adult volunteers were drawn into citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine-one and stored at 4.degree. C for 0-48 h. One-half of each sample was irradiated with 1500 rads. PMN isolated from the buffy coat of these samples had greater than 80% normal CT and CL following 0-28 h of storage in whole blood. Irradiation caused no depression in function. Units of whole blood yielded 1.11 .+-. 0.40 .+-. 109 PMN/unit. Transfusion of radiated PMN obtained from stored whole blood that is < 28 h old is reasonable to use in studies involving PMN transfusions.