RAT EOSINOPHILS - ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SUPEROXIDE PRODUCTION

Studies with isolated cells are important to the understanding of mech anisms by which eosinophils participate in allergic inflammation, Due to species variability, isolation techniques and cell biology need to be defined for each source, We developed methods to obtain rat eosinop hils with purity and viability exceeding 90%, characterized the supero xide anion production of these cells in response to standard activator s, and compared these results with those previously obtained in our la boratories with the use of human eosinophils, Rat eosinophils responde d vigorously to phorbol myristate acetate and poorly to platelet-activ ating factor and to N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, parallel to the responses of human eosinophils, In contrast, rat eosinophils re sponded unlike human eosinophils to other activators, having a larger response to calcium ionophore A23187, a smaller response to serum-trea ted or serum-opsonized zymosan, and a negative rather than positive mo dulatory effect of cytochalasin B. We conclude that rat eosinophils ca n be obtained in high purity and with intact responsiveness to a numbe r of different activators.