A Modified Spectrophotometric Test for Nitroblue-Tetrazolium Reduction of Granulocytes and Monocytes and its Application for Testing Inhibition of Monocytes by Serum Components in Tumor Patients

Abstract

For evaluation of serum-factor involvement in monocyte function, we established a modified quantitative spectrophotometric-nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test. We investigated the stimulation of human peripheral monocytes and granulocytes by zymosan, endotoxin, and Corynebacterium parvum in vitro. In addition, polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) function in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma was studied during the course of polychemotherapy and intravenous application of Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum). In non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 15) and bronchogenic carcinoma (n = 11) the NBTreduction of autologous monocytes in presence of autologous serum in relation to a AB serum was decreased compared to a control group of age-matched healthy blood donors. The sera from patients with these neoplasms inhibited NBT-reduction of monocytes from healthy donors. This inhibition showed a correlation to the presence of immune complexes in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.