Superior leukocyte separation with a discontinuous one-step Ficoll-Hypaque gradient for the isolation of human neutrophils.

A discontinuous gradient system composed of two commercially available Ficoll-Hypaque mixtures (Mono-Poly resolving medium (MPRM) and Histopaque 1.077) is described for the purification of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear leukocytes from human blood. Like the original one-step Hypaque-Ficoll procedure (Ferrante and Thong, 1978), a single centrifugation at 500 X g for 30 min resulted in the formation of two distinct leukocyte fractions. In contrast to MPRM alone, the discontinuous system (MPRM-HP) was capable of resolving leukocyte fractions from blood volumes as small as 1 ml with excellent purity and yield. MPRM-HP was also compatible with a wider range of anticoagulants and permitted fractionation of specimens resistant to MPRM.