In vitro migration activity of human peripheral blood neutrophils in the normal state and in immunopathology

Methodological approaches to evaluation of the migration activity of human peripheral blood neutrophils into a collagen matrix were worked out. The migration of neutrophils in healthy donors and in patients with severe bronchial asthma was studied. In the normal state there was practically no migration of intact neutrophils into the collagen matrix (1.1 +/- 0.4%). Following their stimulation by formyi peptide about a quarter of their population was drawn into the matrix in avalanche (22.0 +/- 5.9%). In the acute phase of severe bronchial asthma an increase in both spontaneous (3.3 +/- 1.5%, P < 0.01) and stimulated (35.6 +/- 4.6%, P < 0.001) cell migration occurred. Changes in the migration characteristics of the neutrophils of patients and those of the cells of healthy donors, treated with the polycytokine preparation at concentrations exceeding 100 g/ml, followed similar trends. In case of the standard asthma treatment along with positive disease dynamics further increase in spontaneous neutrophil migration (5.8 +/- 2.9%, P < 0.001) in combination with deficiency in cells reaction to formyi peptide (11.8 +/- 3.8%, P < 0.01) was registered. At the same time dexamethasone did not change the character of the in vitro migration of neutrophils into the collagen matrix. Thus the dynamics of the peripheral blood neutrophil migration during treatment of severe bronchial asthma was demonstrated; this dynamics could be indicative of the pathogenetic role of neutrophils in the development of this pathology.