Neutrophil chemotaxis in the horse is not mediated by a complex of equine neutrophil elastase and equine alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor.

Studies have demonstrated that as a result of proteolytic inactivation or complex formation (with neutrophil elastase), human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) becomes a potent chemoattractant for human neutrophils. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro chemotactic response of equine neutrophils to an equivalent complex of equine API and neutrophil elastase. No evidence of neutrophil migration was observed towards purified complex derived from equine neutrophil elastase and the Spi 1 isoform of equine API, or to crude mixtures of porcine pancreatic elastase and unseparated equine API isoforms, although the same neutrophil preparations actively migrated towards zymosan activated plasma. It was concluded that, in the horse, complexes of API are not involved in the migration of neutrophils to sites of inflammation.