Mononuclear leucocytes, granulocytes and thrombocytes in the calcium ionophore-induced leucocyte adherence inhibition in multiple sclerosis patients and controls.

The calcium ionophore A23187-induced adherence inhibition of mononuclear leucocytes and granulocytes in multiple sclerosis patients and in controls was investigated. Furthermore, the role of thrombocytes in the ionophore-induced adherence inhibition of both the mononuclears and the granulocytes was evaluated. In the control group and in patients treated with corticosteroids the ionophore consistently induced the adherence inhibition of mononuclear leucocytes. In multiple sclerosis patients without corticosteroid treatment rather heterogenous results were obtained, which appears to reflect the fluctuation of the disease activity. Addition of thrombocytes to the mononuclear leucocyte suspension led to a decrease of leucocyte adherence in both multiple sclerosis groups regardless of the presence of the ionophore. The ionophore stimulation of granulocytes preincubated with the thrombocyte suspension resulted in an increase of the granulocyte nonadherence in healthy controls. An analogous response in multiple sclerosis patients without corticosteroid treatment was significantly less expressed and was not found in patients treated with corticosteroids. These results suggest a thrombocyte-dependent alteration of the membrane properties in the early phase of nonspecific granulocyte activation in patients with multiple sclerosis.