Kinetic and comparative studies on localized leukocyte mobilization in normal man

Based on a simple and reproducible plastic skin chamber technique and a new high speed rotary skin-abrasion method, quantitative, kinetic, and cytologic aspects of localized leukocyte mobilization (LLM) were investigated in 63 normal subjects. In comparative studies with different chamber media, autologous serum evoked LLM superior to a variety of buffered electrolyte and diluted serum media. The presence of a potent LLM-stimulating factor in human serum is suggested. Median LLM into autologous serum in 24 hours for 63 healthy volunteers was 70.34 × 10⁶ leukocytes per square centimeter of skin-abrasion surface. Three different quite reproducible patterns of leukocyte mobilization were identified in normal persons: "peak", "up-slope", and "high-plateau" type. Subjects with the slow mobilizing "up-slope" type had significantly lower polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) counts and 3 to 4 times more infections by history than did "peak" type and "high-plateau" type normal persons. All skin-chamber exudates contained between 90 to 100 per cent mature PMN 2 to 48 hours after skin abrasion, in contrast to the evolving mononuclear response in concurrent coverslip experiments. The plastic skin-chamber technique is a quantitative model of the early polymorphonuclear leukocytic defense reaction, allows comparative studies of factors influencing LLM, and permits the recovery of nearly pure PMN in autologous serum without extraneous additions.