Stimulatory effects of carbenicillin and ticarcillin on the adhesion and spreading of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

The in-vitro effects of ticarcillin and carbenicillin on adhesiveness, spreading, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and Candida-killing of human leukocytes have been comparatively studied. Adhesion and spreading of cells was increased by incubation with ticarcillin and carbenicillin. We found significant enlargement of surface and length measurements by optical and scanning electron microscopic examination. (P less than 0.0005). The number of cells was only significantly increased after exposure to ticarcillin (P less than 0.05). There were no modifications of chemotaxis, phagocytosis and Candida-killing capacity with respect to control values.