Chemotactic responsiveness and random motility of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with progressive systemic sclerosis.

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) random motility and chemotactic responsiveness and serum chemoattractant ability in 20 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) were compared to those from 21 normal controls using a microchemotactic assembly. PSS leukocyte random motility was found to be significantly increased (p less than 0.02) compared to that in the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the chemotactic migration of control and patient cells in response to C5a or zymosan activated control or patient sera. The chemotactic responsiveness of normal PMNL and the chemotactic activity of zymosan activated normal serum or C5a were not affected when treated with 10% PSS plasma. This suggests the absence of inactivators of chemotactic factors and circulating cell directed inhibitors of chemotaxis in the sera of patients with PSS.