Neutrophil behaviour in the presence of protease inhibitors.

Neutrophil leucocytes circulate in plasma, which contains broad-spectrum antiproteases such as alpha-2-macroglobulin and alpha-1-antitrypsin, and move into environments in which antiproteases are present. Plasma antiproteases significantly reduce the adhesiveness of leucocytes in both static and dynamic adhesion assays, although their action does not seem to depend upon their anti-protease capacity. Contrary to expectation, leucocyte movement over surfaces and through both rigid and deformable three-dimensional matrices (micropore filters and collagen gels) is unaffected by antiproteases. This renders the idea that forward movement depends upon the proteolytic cleavage of redundant adhesion sites less probable. Various non-physiological antiproteases (chloromethyl ketones, soya bean trypsin inhibitor, and epsilon-aminocaproic acid are also ineffective in reducing locomotion, although they do cause minor changes in adhesiveness.