Improved chemotactic ability of neonatal polymorphonuclear cells induced by mild membrane rigidification

Membrane lipid fluidity of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) of 24 newborn infants, 2-4 days after birth, was determined by steady-state fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl 1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as a probe and compared with that of PMNs from 23 adults. Measurements with intact cells, which correspond to all cellular lipid domains, did not display any statistically significant difference between PMNs of the two groups. However, application of bixinoyl glucosamine, a membrane-impermeable fluorescence quencher, revealed that the PMN plasma membrane of the newborn is about 23% more fluid than that of the adult. Total cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio of newborn PMNs was found to be lower by about 10% than that of the adult, which could account for the difference in their plasma membrane fluidity. The possible implication of this finding for the deficit in chemotactic ability of leukocytes from newborns was tested with neonatal PMNs that have incorporated cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS), an efficient plasma membrane rigidifier. In all neonatal PMNs tested a mild incorporation of CHS (0.5-1 min incubation in 50 micrograms/ml dispersion) caused a significant improvement in their net chemotaxis, from an average value of 28 +/- 7 to 43 +/- 11. Longer incubations with CHS caused a gradual decrease in chemotactic ability that approached the basal level after about 5 min incubation. The net chemotaxis in adult PMNs was significantly higher than that of neonatal PMNs (72 +/- 13) and was gradually inhibited by incorporation of CHS without any initial augmentation. Based on these results it was estimated that about 27% of the chemotactic deficit of neonatal PMNs is mediated by their immature fluid membrane.