Decay of granulocyte adherence following isolation from human blood.

We studied the rate of decay of granulocyte adherence following isolation from human blood using the nylon-fibre microcolumn technique recently developed in our laboratory. The decay in adherence was found to be evident by 6 h, pronounced by 24 h, and very substantial by 48 h. This decay in adherence can be reversed by incubation at 4 degrees C instead of 37 degrees C. It can also be retarded by incubation with both superoxide dismutase and 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The data suggests that peroxidation of the granulocyte membrane is a possible mechanism for the decay in granulocyte adherence. These results provide further insight into biological aspects of granulocyte activity, and have implications for the laboratory evaluation of granulocyte function.