| Popis: |
Electron excitation of oxygen molecules, with release of photons due to electron relaxation, is associated with leukocyte phagocytosis. These events are the result of formation of singlet oxygen and/or superoxide anion, and these, in turn, are unique intracellular microbicidal agents. Rate of photon emission can be monitored in a liquid scintillation counter operated at 25-27°C in the out-of-coincidence mode. Both phagocytic monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes isolated from human blood emitted photons upon engulfment of opsonized zymosan, or yeast. Rate of photon emission was proportional to the concentration of phagocytes present in the sample. Color quenching of photons was noted when contaminating erythrocytes were present in the sample. For this reason, a technique was developed to prepare highly purified preparations of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear leukocytes devoid of erythrocytes. Control studies indicated that chemiluminescence was inhibited if Ca++ and Mg++ were absent from the test sample. Chemiluminescence appears to be a simple method for determining phagocytosis and intracellular killing on the part of phagocytic monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes present in human blood. |
