THE CHEMOTACTIC EFFECT OF MIXTURES OF ANTIBODY AND ANTIGEN ON POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUCOCYTES

Abstract

An in vitro technique is described for assessing the chemotactic activity of soluble substances on motile cells. Antibody-antigen mixtures when incubated (37 degrees C) in medium containing fresh (i.e. non-inactivated) normal rabbit serum exert a strong chemotactic effect on rabbit polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Results are described which indicate that, when antibody-antigen complexes are incubated (37 degrees C) in fresh serum, a heat-stable (56 degrees C) substance (or substances) is produced which acts directly as a chemotactic stimulus on the polymorphs. This heat-stable chemotactic substance is not produced when antibody-antigen complexes are incubated in serum which has been heated at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes.