Altered chemotactic peptide binding in tobacco smokers' neutrophils.

The functions of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from tobacco smokers are altered compared to those from nonsmokers. Since neutrophil chemotaxis and oxidative metabolism are mediated by surface receptors, we studied the association of the chemotactic peptide formyl Met-Leu-Phe with neutrophils from smokers and non-smokers. An apparently single class of binding sites was observed in neutrophils from all the non-smokers, whereas upwardly curving Scatchard plots were obtained for binding to smokers' cells. Thus changes at the receptor level may be responsible for the previously observed alterations in smoker neutrophil function.