LUMINOL-ENHANCED, WHOLE-BLOOD CHEMILUMINESCENCE OF HUMAN NEUTROPHILS EVALUATED BY MEANS OF AN AUTOMATED, COMPUTER-ASSISTED, AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY LUMINESCENCE ANALYZER

Luminol-enhanced whole blood chemiluminescence of human neutrophils wa s studied using opsonized zymosan as a stimulus. Heparinized blood (0. 5 mu l) was used, and the chemiluminescence signals were recorded by a very sensitive, automated, and computer-assisted luminometer (LB 950, Berthold, Wildbad, Germany). The following parameters were provided: integral values over the total measuring time, peak values, the time t o reach maximum value, and the time to reach half maximum value. Norma l subjects, neutropenic patients, subjects with total or partial myelo peroxidase deficiency, patients with recurrent infections, phagocytic defects, thrombocythemic patients, and those with non-Hodgkin's lympho mas undergoing therapy with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimu lating factor were studied. The integral response of chemiluminescence and the time of reach half maximal value were useful indicators of ch emiluminescence defects; the assay, was able to detect chemiluminescen ce responses in neutropenic subjects with neutrophil levels as low as 0.6 x 10(9)/l; differences between cellular and plasma defects could b e identified; the quenching effect exerted by erythrocytes was negligi ble.