HUMAN POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES OF THE BONE MARROW, CIRCULATION AND MARGINATED POOL: FUNCTION AND GRANULE PROTEIN CONTENT

Abstract

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) demonstrate altered function during acute infections and after administration of corticosteroids. We questioned whether such changes are due to population shifts from functionally different compartments of the granulocyte pool. Ten volunteers were given epinephrine 0.3 ml s.c. to induce demargination. PMNLs obtained before and after epinephrine injection were compared for adherence to nylon wool fiber, chemotaxis under agarose, luminol enhanced chemiluminescence, and total content and release of the granule proteins lactoferrin (LF) and β-glucuronidase (β-glu). Similar experiments were carried out using hydrocortisone (HC) to induce PMNL egress from the bone marrow. Epinephrine induced a significant neutrophilia of mature PMNLs, but there was no change in function or granule protein content. HC induced a neutrophilia with significant number of immature PMNLs (bands). These PMNLs demonstrated less adherence, increased chemiluminescence to zymosan stimulation and increased β-glu and LF release to stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate. Total LF and β-glu content was unchanged. There was no correlation between change in function and magnitude of HC induced neutrophilia or the left shift. We conclude that the functional changes of PMNLs after HC infusion are due to an effect of HC upon PMNLs and not a result of a population shift from bone marrow PMNLs.