LEUKOCYTE MOTILITY IN THE NEWBORN - DETERMINATION OF SPONTANEOUS MOVEMENT IS ESSENTIAL IN THE INVITRO ASSESSMENT OF NEUTROPHIL CHEMOTAXIS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (3) , 620-626
Abstract
Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) of the newborn show poor movement in vitro toward a chemotactic stimulus, such as zymosan-activated human serum (ZAS). This may result from a defect in spontaneous movement or in the response of the cells to the stimulus. To identify the defect, chemotaxis, chemokinesis and spontaneous movement of cord blood PMN were studied by agarose assay and by the leading front modification of the Boyden chamber technique. Under agarose, cord PMN showed much spontaneous movement. This, associated with poor stimulated movement, indicated a defect in the responsiveness of cord PMN to ZAS. In the membrane filter, cord PMN migrated spontaneously and in the presence of ZAS, significantly less than adult cells. The weak spontaneous movement probably resulted from poor deformability of cord PMN and contributed to the weak stimulated movement of these cells in the filter. The impaired chemotaxis was apparently due to a defect in responsiveness and deformability of cord PMN rather than to a defect in their intrinsic ability to move.