Effects of theophylline on capillary tube leucocyte migration.

Theophylline stimulates the capillary tube migration of human peripheral blood mixed leucocytes. Minor stimulation of polymorph migration is produced directly by theophylline and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, but polymorph migration is markedly stimulated by mononuclear leucocyte culture supernatants to which theophylline has been added. These results suggest that polymorph migration is stimulated when intracellular cyclic AMP increases, and that mononuclear leucocytes produce a potential migration stimulator whose activity is enhanced by theophylline.