[Polyester treatment in rats with a dorsal air pouch: chemotaxis in lavage fluid from the pouch]

Minced polyester threads introduced into peritoneal cavity of rats cause a granulomatous inflammation with evidence of macrophage stimulation. Chemotactic agents play an important role in the inflammatory reaction; they are released locally by cells involved in inflammation. In this paper the chemotactic effect of the peritoneal and subcutaneous air pouch fluids from rats bearing the polyester inflammatory process, have been studied on PMN cells "in vitro". The fluids were obtained by washing the cavity of untreated rats or rats injected with polyester, 7 days after the injection. The chemotactic response was assayed by employing modified chemotaxis Boyden chambers (Blind Well Neuro Probe) and polymorphonuclear cells from normal rats. Quantification of the migration was calculated by chemotactic index (A/B) (B = random migration, A = chemotaxis). The results demonstrate that a chemotactic activity is present in peritoneal and subcutaneous air pouch fluids following the inflammatory process. In conclusion the chronic inflammation determines the appearance of chemotactic factors for PMN cells, in the peritoneal cavity and in the air pouch, and the air pouch is a very convenient experimental system with the particular advantage that it permits easy repeated sampling of exudate during the course of an inflammatory response.